PEM parents demanding more transparency from school leaders following hazing incident
(ABC 6 News) – Nearly two months have passed since the disturbing hazing allegations coming out of Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School’s homecoming week and parents’ concerns have only grown since then.
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Many parents have been attending school board meetings, demanding more answers from school leaders.
Since then, PEM Superintendent Darrin Strosahl says the district has operated an independent investigation into the incident, while the Wabasha County Attorney’s office determines if charges can be filed from the Plainview Police Depts. criminal investigation.
Strosahl says the independent investigators have not brought the report back to the district at this time.
Parents in the district tell ABC 6 News that they are tired of the lack of transparency, but fear retaliation if they speak out.
“They’re just going to sweep this under the rug. That’s what I hear from everybody, I have yet to hear somebody who says, ‘well keep at it they’ll do something about it,'” said Dawn Suntken, with one son still attending school in the district and another who has since graduated. “I think that’s a horrible attitude that we have about our schools, is that they just want you to go away and ‘we’re going to sweep it under the rug.'”
School board members have refused to answer any of our questions regarding the status of the district’s investigation or about what the school is doing to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
The Wabasha County Attorney’s Office did not return our call for comment on whether charges are expected to be filed.
At the time of writing this article, Supt. Strosahl agreed to answer questions Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story and ABC 6 News will update with more information once it becomes available.