PART 1 (This Article): TEACHER FACES LOSS OF JOB DUE TO A STATEMENT HE MADE
PART 2: TEACHER HAS ALLEGEDLY LOST HIS JOB DUE TO STATEMENT HE MADE
PART 3: JUSTIN LINDGREN, BAND TEACHER, AGREES TO SHARE HIS PERSONNEL FILE
PART 4: SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILLIPS RESPONDS TO JUSTIN LINDGREN'S RESIGNATION
In March 2023, Justin Lindgren, a band teacher in the School District of Phillips, made an off-the-cuff figure of speech remark to get some unruly students to settle down, according to Donna Calhoun, and he may no longer have his job on account of it. Donna is a Price County resident standing up for Mr. Lindgren, who she believes is a valuable teacher in the school district.
"The resignation agreement was forced on Mr. Lindgren," according to Donna. "I believe the real beef is because Mr. Lindgren wants remodeling money for the auditorium to be spent to suit the students of band and choir and not the Northwoods Players....There's a lot more to this story than meets the eye."
With a number of residents sharing rumors and facts on Facebook about this situation, and given a number of residents asked us for more information, we reached out to Principal Kevin Wellman, Superintendent Rick Morgan, and Justin Lindgren.
We asked Mr. Lindgren for an overview of what happened, but he preferred not to make any public comments at this time.
Mr. Wellman replied that he was forwarding our questions to Mr. Morgan.
Our questions to Mr. Wellman and Mr. Morgan were more detailed and included the following:
Could you please update us on the situation with Justin Lindgren? What is it that he allegedly did wrong?
Is he under a disciplinary review? If so, why?
Is he on leave right now or was he on leave for this incident at any time? If so, what is the reason for his leave?
Was he asked to submit a resignation? If so, why and what were the conditions?
Is there a public meeting that will partially be about him on the night of Monday, April 24, 2023?
We have been told that students aren't able to put up signs in support of Mr. Lindgren. Is that true? Why was that decision made?
At a school board meeting, a student said that SAGE posters are allowed at school but not "Students Supporting Teachers." What is SAGE? Why can one student group post signs but not another?
Mr. Morgan replied, "The questions you have proposed are related to personnel and not releasable at this time. However, there is a resignation agreement and this document would potentially be released once requested and proper notice to the individual involved was provided. Please advise as to your request for this document so that I can begin the notification process." Mr. Morgan carbon copied Attorney Steve Weld, but, at the time of publication, Mr. Weld has not provided any additional information, either.
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My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin followed up requesting the resignation document and any other information that can be released regarding this situation. We also asked for the non-personnel questions to be answered regarding if there will be a public meeting on Monday night that addresses the situation with Mr. Lindgren, why students cannot put up posters in support of teachers, and what is the mission of SAGE.
While waiting for the reply, a couple community members told us that SAGE is an acronym for Sexuality And Gender Equity. We were informed the group exists to create a safe space for students to meet during lunch once per month. The group was reportedly more active in previous years, making posters and meeting with the principal to discuss policies. According to the student who spoke at the school board meeting, SAGE posters are allowed in the halls of the school but any support posters for Mr. Lindgren are not allowed.
Furthermore, at the March 20, 2023 school board meeting, Mr. Morgan stated that there was not an action item on the agenda that night regarding the teacher [Mr. Lindgren] mentioned in the social media post that was circulating on the Internet. He let people know that if they were in attendance thinking action would be taken, they were misinformed and a special meeting would need to take place for such action. However, district staffing is on the agenda at regular board meetings and public comment is allowed at the meetings.
The school board meeting that was scheduled for Monday, April 17, 2023 was rescheduled, due to inclement weather, to Monday, March 24, 2023. Donna Calhoun believes Mr. Lindgren's situation will be discussed at this meeting. She said that each person in attendance is allowed three minutes during public comment. She is asking anyone who supports Mr. Lindgren to show up at the meeting wearing red in support of him. Anyone who wants to speak on his behalf will have time to do so during public comment. "The kids love Mr. Lindgren. He is wonderful. Someone needs to stand up for what is right. Someone needs to stand up for him," she said, asking the community to attend Monday night's meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. in the Phillips High School Performing Arts Center.
If Mr. Morgan replies to the remainder of our questions or if Mr. Lindgren makes a statement, we will update this article.
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This article has a Part 2. Click here to read more.
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