WAUSAU, WI (WTAQ-WSAU) — The Wausau School Board took nearly 90 minutes of public comment on Monday regarding the recent announcement of an investigation into accusations against East High School Band Director, Rob Perkins.
Perkins was accused of using slurs and other hurtful comments directed at a student. Those words were repeated by a family member of the victim during public comment, who said they “are filled with hate and make us feel intense pain because they attack our dignity and our worth.”
Those words included phrases against both the Asian and gay communities. She added that the district should be disgusted by the actions and a lack of a sincere apology from Perkins. “This teacher saw my nephew in his class [and] saw his mom at work and never once approached them to apologize or take responsibility.”
She also criticized the district for not informing her family of the results of their investigation or for saying that Perkins would be allowed to return to his classroom.
The school district conducted an investigation into the matter, which found “some of our students experienced situations that fall short of our expectations,” according to a statement released in late April. Leaders did not comment on the details of the investigation, including what specific accusations were made. The district did note that they would be bringing in a consultant to help create a better environment for both students and staff saying it was an opportunity for the district to “be better and do better.”
A statement from Superintendent Keith Hilts also noted that action such as terminating an employee when expectations aren’t met is warranted “when behavior calls for it.” The statement added “when we do the hard work to teach and reinforce and coach and support and monitor high expectations for behavior, now we have a whole group of people who are more capable and more likely to meet our expectations. That is how we improve ourselves and our community. That is how we get closer to being the model for high expectations for all the members of our community.”
A group of community activists had planned a peaceful protest against the district outside of East High School Monday morning, but that was called off at the last minute. Over the weekend an Instagram account titled “eastbandstudents” sprang up to offer support for Perkins, saying “the accusations against Rob Perkins are widely dramatized and inaccurate. Students reported that if Perkins had said these things he was being accused of, and they would not be comfortable being anywhere near him or his classroom.”
The account adds that students who are attempting to spread the “true story” of what happened are being silenced or told that their recollections don’t count.
The matter has caught the attention of the State Department of Public Instruction, which has opened its own investigation into the matter. It’s unclear when that investigation will conclude or when they will release their findings. While the DPI doesn’t have the authority to fire Perkins, they can revoke his teaching license.
