TUALATIN, Ore. — Parents in the Tigard-Tualatin School District are circulating a petition to oust the superintendent. Violence and disruptive behavior have increased under Superintendent Sue Rieke-Smith’s tenure, parents said.
"We need to have a sense of emergency and urgency," said Teagan Milera, a parent of Tigard-Tualatin students.
Over the past several months, the Tigard-Tualatin School District has dealt with shooting threats on campus and viral videos of fights.
At the most recent school board meeting, students claim verbal abuse is frequent.
"Nobody should hear the things that I hear at school every single day," said Amy, a Hazelbrook Middle School eighth grader.
"I've watched students cuss out teachers when they don't want to follow the rules or they are having a bad day," said Beatrice, a seventh grader at Hazelbrook.
Parents are also feeling out of the loop about what’s happening in their children’s schools.
"We need transparency,” said Victoria King, a parent of Tigard-Tualatin students. "We need to know what our students are facing in schools."
King said she hears about school violence from her children weekly.
"It's really disheartening," King said.
King said she’s one of hundreds of Tigard-Tualatin parents who signed a petition to oust Rieke-Smith.
In response to the petition, a Tigard-Tualatin spokesperson said they’re aware of the petition but unsure who created or signed the survey.
The school district also said they have a new policy, adopted last week to address school violence. A district official said community feedback was taken into consideration when writing the new policy.
Still, some families said increased disruptions are affecting learning. And some are thinking about leaving the school district.
"If we feel that it's just gone beyond control, then we are ready to take our kids out of school," Milera said.