WINNECONNE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Winneconne School District Administrator Peggy Larson divulged information about a student’s initial decision to use his non-legal name related to his gender identity at graduation, according a school district investigation.
The investigation, which included several other potential violations, concluded that the board should consider whether Larson’s actions should result in her termination or nonrenewal. Larson instead retired last week.
Larson challenged the conclusion of the investigation in a statement last week.
Timeline of events:
- May 27: Larson called Board President Kati Calewarts to share that a student would be using his non-legal name at graduation, which Larson then shared with the rest of the board.
- May 28: A school counselor indicated that he would be called by his requested name, and added that he would receive two diplomas — one with his legal name, the other with his requested name.
“The school is 100 percent to blame for why my son still thinks he should be a woman, by feeding into his delusions and turning him against his family” said the child’s parent in a May 29 email response to the counselor. “I can only imagine how many other families feel the same.”
The parent then said she’d call her lawyer and Mom’s [sic] for Liberty.
- May 29: Calewarts visited the student’s parent at her home to discuss concerns.
- May 30: The student changed his mind and decided to be called by his legal name.
- May 31: Winneconne High School graduation
In a response to the investigation, Larson says the district received an email from the adult student saying that his mother and Calewarts “had met at his home and discussed potential legal action against the District, including possible involvement by Moms for Liberty.” Larson believes the investigation failed to provide the full context by not including that email from the student, who was an adult by that time.
Investigation: Larson divulged information to school employee
On June 1, district employee Kimberley Zeller raised concerns about the situation during public comment at a board meeting.
Zeller asked several questions about Calewarts’ home visit and the student’s decision about which name to be called, raising concerns over Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations. The investigation says Zeller violated several board policies with her public comment. She later acknowledged she should have instead raised concerns privately.
After raising concerns about how she knew this information, the investigation says that Larson told her information about the student. Larson said she shared the information out of a safety concern.
- “I acknowledge sharing limited information concerning a student with a District health room aide,” said Larson in a statement following the investigation. “I disagree, however, with the investigator’s conclusion that the employee had no legitimate educational interest in receiving that information.”
Larson added that she believed sharing the information was relevant to ensuring the student received appropriate support. She adds that FERPA allows her to disclose personally identifiable information “to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the information.
- “I therefore respectfully disagree with the report’s conclusion that sharing this information constituted an improper disclosure of confidential student information,” Larson said.
Zeller’s husband is a former school board member who started the petition to recall Calewarts on July 16.
Investigation concludes Larson failed to exercise proper conduct
The investigation says Larson failed to:
- Recognize the basic dignities of all individuals with whom she interacts
- Exercise due care to protect the mental and physical safety of students, colleagues and subordinates
- Keep in confidence legally confidential information
- Ensure that her actions or those of another on their behalf are not made with specific intent of advancing private interests
- Refrain from using position or public property, or permit another person to use an employee’s position or public property for partisan political purposes
The investigation adds that Larson did not model professional and ethical behavior.
Investigation raises two other potential violations
The investigation adds that Larson violated a clear directive by divulging information from a July 13 closed session meeting, telling us that the meeting “was not about me.”
- Larson objected to that characterization, saying, “After the closed session, I stated that the meeting was not about me. I did not disclose what had been discussed during the closed session.”
It also says she operated “with the intent of trying to embarrass or demonstrate some unethical conduct on the part of a board member” by bypassing the open records request process.
- “In particular, I disagree with any suggestion that I acted for political purposes, attempted to undermine members of the Board, or acted with an intent to embarrass or humiliate anyone,” said Larson.
Calewarts and Board Vice President Dean Ackmann were the subject of a recall petition, which clerk Kari Flagg rejected, concluding the organizers did not file their campaign registration and intent-to-circulate documents with her, the legally designated filing officer. Petitioners are calling the decision biased.
Calewarts, Ackmann, Flagg and board member Cindy Otten have been backed by Moms for Liberty Winnebago County.
Larson spent 31 years working for the district, ultimately becoming the school district’s top administrator. Her retirement took effect last Friday.
“She wants to be clear that she disagrees with the investigation, its conclusions, and certain assertions made by the investigator,” Larson’s lawyers said in a statement last Friday. “Those conclusions do not reflect Peggy’s understanding of the events or the values that have guided her throughout her career. At the same time, she did not believe that engaging in a public back-and-forth over those matters would be productive or serve the students and community she has spent so many years working on behalf of.”
The school board voted to begin searching for an interim district administrator at its meeting this past Monday.
