Dear Editor,

In fairness to the community of Forks, I feel I should explain why I resigned from my school board position from QVSD. I was notified on 10-4-15, from a concerned parent, about a serious staff misconduct allegation that had allegedly taken place.

I reported this to QVSD and was assured that an investigation already had been started and they were informed of the situation, which they had, on both counts. I requested administrative leave for the staff involved during the investigation and an outside source to do the investigation, I was told it would be dealt with “in house.”

The investigation was completed in-house within a week’s time and we were briefed about the outcome at the following school board meeting on 10-13-15. I did not agree with the outcome of the investigation and how quickly it was handled. I felt it should have been pursued further and exhausted of any doubts, this led to the ultimate decision of my resignation. I could not consciously support and justify the decision that was made by the QVSD Administration.

I felt that keeping FHS students safe, in a positive learning environment should have been the No. 1 priority. By failing to do this we failed to adhere to the QVSD mission statement, RESPECT, COMMITMENT and INTEGRITY.

I turned my resignation in on 10-14-15 and at this time I was told the investigation would be reopened and an outside source would be doing the investigation, which is what I had initially requested. I was asked at this time, “How do you think it looks to FHS students when they see two board members resign within a week?”

My response was, “How do you think it looks to FHS students when staff misconduct occurs, the kids all know about it and see nothing being done?”

Thank you for allowing me to be the District 4 representative these past five years, and on a positive note, you also will see me around at the games and FHS events to support the kids.

Brian Pederson

Forks