March 4 2024- Parents in Kirkwood, Missouri, expressed concern over a fifth-grader allegedly terrorizing their children with physical attacks, including punches, death threats, and sexual harassment at Robinson Elementary. During a Kirkwood School Board meeting, parents pleaded for the district’s intervention. Whitney Rickard, one parent, shared that her stepdaughter is scared to attend school due to the harassment. Parents claim the behavior has been ongoing for years, and the accused student is frequently moved to different classrooms. They accuse the school district of not properly handling safety concerns and failing to notify parents of threats and harassment incidents. More than a dozen parents spoke during the board meeting, expressing frustration at the lack of information and communication. Education Plus, an organization working with regional school districts, cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as limiting the extent of information that schools can disclose about student incidents.
