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'I'm terrified': Grievance alleges chaos, teachers unsafe, at Racine school

Posted at 4:53 PM, Nov 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-13 19:21:09-05

Racine Unified School District said it's working to address concerns brought forward in a grievance filed by some staff members at Mitchell Middle School. 

"We received the grievance last month and are working to address the concerns shared with us," the school district said in a statement. 

"It is not accurate to assume all the statements in the grievance are true," the statement continued. "It is part of the process the District follows in which staff members can bring concerns forward and we investigate and follow up when appropriate." 

The district's policy for responding to grievances can be found in the employee handbook.  

The teacher's union confirmed that a grievance had been filed but declined to provide TODAY'S TMJ4 with a copy of it. 

A representative for the Racine Education Association said it's fair to say the grievance classified the state of Mitchell Middle School as understaffed.

Parents claiming to have copies of the grievance posted on Facebook over the weekend. The posts included complaints of unsupervised students in hallways entering classes and disrupting them, and 15 staff members claiming injuries caused by students just this year. 

Nicole Sharkey-Riemer, whose two daughters are enrolled at Mitchell, said she's frustrated and looking into alternatives like home-schooling them or moving them to a private school. 

"My daughters come home every day complaining of multiple fights," she said. 

"I'm terrified. I don't even want to send them back," Sharkey-Riemer added.