Ionia mother or father Betsy Darling shares her ideas on disciplinary practices at Ionia Center College throughout Monday’s Ionia Public Faculties Board of Training assembly. — DN Picture | Tim McAllister
IONIA — Throughout public remark at Monday night’s Ionia Public Faculties Board of Training assembly, a mom shared her issues about alleged disciplinary actions at Ionia Center College.
Betsy Darling of Ionia painted a grim image of day by day life on the center college, with the scholar physique enduring weeks of “silent lunches,” favoritism, manhandling and suspensions with out proof or dialogue.
She alleged the “army”-like self-discipline — led by Principal Ryan Mitchell, a U.S. Navy veteran who beforehand labored in corrections — was heavy-handed, selective and uncontrolled.
“Once they stroll into the Center College within the morning, he provides a number of the youngsters a excessive 5,” Darling stated. “If he doesn’t such as you, you don’t get one. (…) There’s additionally proof that they’ve been placing their arms on the boys’ backs or their necks to redirect college students. Final I knew, they weren’t allowed to place their arms on college students, however that’s occurring.”
Darling alleged that suspensions have doubled since he was employed and contended that Mitchell “treats the children like they’re felons” and is “operating the center college like a jail or a army college.”
“Final I knew, that college was a bully-free zone,” Darling stated. “The bullying is with the workers and the higher-ups. I’m questioning when it’s going to alter.”
In her case, Darling stated her son, an eighth-grader, was denied entry to digital studying even after the boy’s physician identified him with nervousness because of the self-discipline on the college and supplied Darling with a observe making him eligible for digital studying.
The Ionia Public Faculties Board of Training, from left, President Danielle Yokom, Superintendent Benjamin Gurk, Vice President Ken Baker and trustees Brian Siemen, Ray Shippey and Timothy Montgomery hear on Monday as a mother or father describes disciplinary practices at Ionia Center College. — DN Picture | Tim McAllister
“I’ve all of the docs’ information for my son saying that he must be digital, and he has been denied by (Superintendent) Ben Gurk,” Darling stated. “He stated he would get together with his authorized staff in December, and I’ve but to listen to from him …
“After Christmas break, we have been advised (her son) may now not be digital until I known as him in each single day of college, which I’ve, as a result of three docs have confirmed that he must be digital due to the nervousness from the center college.”
Darling says her son has additionally been denied an IEP (individualized training program) regardless of his medically-diagnosed disabilities.
When Darling’s three minutes for public remark have been up, she supplied the board with a thick packet of emails between herself, Mitchell and Gurk, which they accepted, and she or he supplied a digital copy to the Day by day Information later that night.
Mitchell was employed as a conduct specialist at Ionia Center College in February 2023 and have become principal in July 2023.
A local of Grand Ledge, Mitchell served within the Navy for eight years, together with two excursions in Afghanistan, incomes the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. He then labored as a trainer with the Michigan Division of Corrections.
Neither Gurk nor the board made any assertion in the course of the assembly.
“Our center college workers is working exhausting and dealing with college students and households, and can proceed to take action,” Gurk stated after the assembly. “Mr. Mitchell is doing nicely. We’re pleased with the work he’s doing. He served honorably within the Navy and he follows the Center College handbook. We’re happy with the work he’s doing, and our workers is doing, on the Center College.”
After the Day by day Information requested them for additional ideas on the matter Tuesday, Gurk and Mitchell emailed statements to the newspaper.
“Principal Mitchell and our IMS workers work diligently and supply a protected, constructive studying surroundings,” Gurk wrote. “We’ve got no proof of workers wrongdoing. On the contrary, there are applicable ranges of help and accountability. Our IMS educators will proceed to serve our college students, mother and father and group with professionalism and integrity.”
“The alleged ‘silent lunches’ (see phase under) have been a quick initiative aimed toward lowering poor conduct, bettering focus, and selling civility,” Mitchell wrote. “College students have been inspired to carry homework, crosswords or an applicable recreation — some college students have been seen taking part in Uno. This supplied an area to have lively conversations and mannequin on tips on how to appropriately behave within the cafeteria. That is aligned with our H.E.R.O. (hardworking, encouraging, respectful, personal it) matrix that promotes constructive conduct in any house the scholars discover themselves all through the varsity. After merely days of this intervention, there was important enchancment.”
Mitchell continued, “Directors, academics and workers adhere to and uphold the district’s core values always when interacting with college students. Relating to suspensions, no scholar is suspended with out clear proof and due course of. All disciplinary actions are based mostly on documented incidents and are communicated to households. If a scholar or mother or father feels a suspension was issued unfairly, we encourage open communication to resolve any misunderstandings.”
“As for digital studying, Ionia Center College doesn’t supply a basic digital studying possibility, however we do present lodging for college kids on a case-by-case foundation,” Mitchell concluded. “We imagine that in-person studying is probably the most advantageous surroundings for the scholar’s tutorial and social and emotional well-being.”
PREVIOUS CONCERNS
The Day by day Information beforehand heard allegations of heavy-handed self-discipline at Ionia Center College final November, when a reader alerted the newspaper to a Nov. 20 submit within the “Ionia 411” Fb group written by Madeline Ring that described the silent lunches.
“The complete seventh-grade class has been compelled to have silent lunches for the previous two weeks,” Ring’s submit learn, partly. “They’ve assigned seating, aren’t allowed to talk to different college students and aren’t allowed to stand up to throw their trash away. They’re required to take a seat and eat in silence and aren’t allowed any free time to go exterior and get some recent air, all whereas the principal, vice principal and the varsity useful resource officer stroll round with trash bins amassing rubbish from tables and police anybody who tries to talk or transfer.”
When contacted by the Day by day Information final November, Ring affirmed this model of occasions. She additionally reported the “silent lunches” ended quickly after she wrote about it on social media.
“My submit was not exaggerated or inaccurate in any method,” Ring wrote. “Silent lunches continued by way of the tip of the week of my submit, after which the varsity, paradoxically, pulled the plug on the plan fully. My prior communications with them didn’t point out an anticipated end-date and have been unapologetically supportive of this methodology and its continuation.
“That’s to not say that they weren’t already intending to finish it on X date, however one would suppose that, in response to a involved mother or father citing the subject, they’d have talked about that of their emails with me if that was the plan. So I wish to suppose that my submit and bringing consideration to this challenge is what introduced it to a detailed, or contributed to it. So I’m happy about that.
The Day by day Information additionally contacted Mitchell final November for his tackle the matter.
“Our precedence is to keep up a protected and supportive surroundings for all college students,” Mitchell replied. “Our interventions are designed to help college students inside a protected studying surroundings. Social media posts generally result in the unfold of exaggerated info or inaccurate representations of occasions. We encourage mother and father and group members to contact college administration if they’ve any issues.”
The Day by day Information additionally contacted Gurk and Ionia Center College Assistant Principal Kelsey Ford final November they usually referred the newspaper to Mitchell’s assertion.
In different issues …
Throughout Monday’s assembly, the Ionia Public Faculties Board of Training additionally:
- Authorized hiring Reasonably Elementary second grade trainer Tammy Duell, center college math trainer Salli Jones, Jefferson Elementary “Develop Your Personal” program substitute Mandy Knight, Jefferson Elementary Title One paraprofessional Betsy Roath and Jefferson Elementary one-on-one paraprofessional Allyson Strasser.
- Throughout the board’s annual organizational assembly , they appointed Danielle Yokom as president, Ken Baker as vp, Robin Marhofer as secretary and Dayna Ellis as treasurer; established 2025 common assembly occasions, dates and places; established the particular assembly process; designated Mercantile Financial institution, Impartial Financial institution, Michigan CLASS and Michigan One Credit score Union as depositories for varsity funds; designated the superintendent and government director of enterprise and finance as signatories for the acquisition or sale of property; set a $.10 per web page printing/postage price for many who need to be notified of college board conferences by way of the U.S. Mail; designated the manager director of enterprise and finance as digital switch officer; and approved the superintendent, affiliate superintendent, administrators, center and highschool principals, homeless liaison, truancy officer, accounts payable and government assistant to make use of district credit score and debit playing cards.
