WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — The Pasco County superintendent is investigating Wiregrass Elementary after teachers and staff raised safety concerns and reported injuries on campus.
At least a dozen parents, teachers, and staff members spoke out at a school board meeting Tuesday night, saying they need more support from administration and that their concerns are not being heard. Educators said conditions have escalated to the point where both staff and students have been hurt.
WATCH: 'A lot of anxiety': Wiregrass Elementary staff report injuries, Pasco County superintendent investigates
"The physical pain pales in comparison to the wall of silence that we’ve received," Angela Callahan, a staff member at Wiregrass Elementary, said during public comment.
Callahan is a behavior assistant who works with students who have special needs, and she said she was injured on the job.
"During the crisis, my hair was ripped from the scalp," Callahan said.
Callahan said the students are not the problem, but rather a lack of staff and resources.
"There's definitely been a lot of anxiety," Callahan said. "I have raised multiple concerns at the school and then as well within the district, and I think that the escalation that we see here today is just that we haven't received feedback from that."
Teachers said they have always been proud to work at the school, but this year has changed that. The school has a new principal this year.
Kristen Ojeda, a parent and former school secretary, said she left her job because of the conditions.
"It's incredibly disappointing to find ourselves in this situation," Ojeda said.
Julia Ford, a music teacher at the school, said staff members want to improve the situation.
"We've had some morale concerns ... and we just want to make sure that we have our best foot forward going into the next school year," Ford said.
When I asked the district for clarification on whether there was an incident between a student and a staff member, the district responded.
"I don't want to confirm or deny, but I can share that those situations do occur in ESE classrooms from time to time. And it's our job as, you know, school administration and district staff to make sure that those are reported, and that the staff member gets the care that they need," Toni Zetzsche, chief communications officer for Pasco County Schools, said.
Pasco County Schools Superintendent Dr. John Legg said the district launched an investigation last week after learning about the concerns.
"There is a due process by which we want to go through and look at things," Legg said.
District and board members said they take the situation seriously and wish the concerns had been brought to them sooner.
"I would encourage you to reach out to me or any board member as soon as concerns emerge so we that we can work together in a constructive and respectful way before a situation escalates to this level," Colleen Beaudoin, Pasco County Schools board chair, said.
The district said the principal was not available to comment.
This is a developing story, and we will provide updates as we learn more.
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