Williams Bay School Board continues thorough analysis of incident prior to making final decision
Breann Vogt, a fifth-grade teacher at Williams Bay Elementary School, remains on leave following a Facebook post she made on June 2.
Vogt, who has taught at the school for 11 years, used an emoticon to express that she was feeling frustrated and posted, “I’d like to go on a short, but effective, killing spree. My children* are INSANE! *home and school.”
The Williams Bay School Board of Education held a special meeting on July 1 to discuss how to handle the personnel issue. Following an hour-long closed session, District Administrator Wayne Anderson said that the board is still considering legal options.
“The consultation with legal counsel is still ongoing, so there is no action items at this point. We are still working on what will be an ultimate solution,” Anderson said.
Six parents who want Vogt to be fired attended this week’s meeting.
“My child was threatened,” one parent said to the school board.
Parents wanted to know when a decision would be made so they could decide whether they would send their children to a different school district.
“The board is taking the action that it can in as quick of a manner as possible,” Anderson told the parents.
David Friedman, legal counsel for the school district, is looking at all of the board’s options and the ramifications of each of those options, Anderson said.
“These are complicated and complex matters because the law requires a lot of thorough analysis, and the district is being careful here to make sure that they are doing a thorough job before taking any action,” Friedman said.
Not all parents want the board to fire Vogt. A total of 171 people have signed an online petition to retain Vogt at Williams Bay Elementary School.
The petition at change.org states that Vogt “has done an outstanding job for our children and our community. She has gone far above and beyond the course of her duties to help the children in her classroom…The whole of her career should not be diminished due to one unfortunate lack of judgement (sic).”
“Watching years of great interaction with the kids speaks much louder than a few misinterpreted words online. This is a good lesson for all teachers, but does not need to end a career,” Mike O’Brien wrote on the petition website.
“While indeed Breann made a very poor choice, it would be heartbreaking to see her very impactful career ruined for a momentary lack of judgement. Mrs. Vogt made both of my kids’ 5th grade years fun and productive – progressing their academnics (sic) nicely while keeping them engaged in school and ready for the next phase,” Jennifer Myers added.
“Breann Vogt was my sons 5th grade teacher. Not only did he excel in her classroom, he blossomed under her watch. I would not hesitate for one second to put any child in her care. She is kind and has a great sense of humor. I stand beside her 100% despite her one momentary lack of judgment. Everybody makes mistakes…her suspension and public humiliation I think are punishment enough,” Stefanie Warren posted.
Vogt was not at Tuesday’s meeting. Nor were any of her supporters.
The school district has a new policy committee that will be developing a protocol for situations like this, said School Board President Jim Pfeil.
The district needs to rely on legal counsel to decide how to handle the situation, School Board Clerk Dianna Woss said.
“Many of us have been involved in a private sector [case], and know how that works, but this public [situation] is different, and the laws are changing rapidly. So legal counsel needs time to study that as well,” Woss said.
The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution applies to the public sector, but not to the private sector, Friedman said. That means a government agency cannot fire someone for free speech, he said.
“When an employee is terminated by a governmental body, there is a potential that there are constitutional issues involved because the employer, the government, are the same,” Friedman said. “The private sector is not governed by any restrictions. They don’t have to worry about the first amendment issues when they fire someone.”
There have been numerous court cases involving teachers and social media over the past several years.
“It’s a law that has changed, and keeps changing,” Friedman said. “Each situation is a little bit different.”
Anderson said he would send out an email within a week to notify parents in the district of the status of the matter.
Vogt’s Facebook page currently states that she is a former teacher at Williams Bay Elementary School.
“The teacher will not be back in the classroom until the issue is resolved,” Anderson said.
