ERIE — The Board of Education for USD 101 accepted the retirement of the principal of Erie High School during a special meeting on Monday, Oct. 13.
Superintendent Scott Palser offered no other comment on the matter to the Tribune.
This choice to retire comes after recent controversy, where local parents called for Principal Robert Schneeberger to resign.
On Sept. 29, multiple students brought forth concerns over another student’s behavior, and alleged that their concerns were dismissed by Schneeberger.
Following the incident, parents and students met with Schneeberger to discuss their concerns regarding how the situation was handled.
In a letter to the Chanute Tribune following this meeting, parents wrote: “The facts speak for themselves: — No lockdown was called.
— The student making threats was not isolated and continued to taunt classmates.
— Students who bravely reported the threats were mocked as ‘dramatic,’ leaving them in tears.
— Parents were never directly notified — instead, the only communication was a vague Facebook post.
— Principal Schneeberger admitted that the school has not practiced ALICE active-shooter protocols in years and acknowledged complacency in safety preparation.”
On Oct. 6, many parents and students attended the regular Board of Education meeting hoping to bring their concerns to the board. However, no public comment period was held.
On Oct. 7, a Facebook page was created by parents, called Erie High School Parents for Accountability. On that day, Palser also released this statement to district parents to inform them that Schneeberger would be away from Erie High School for a period of time.
Juvenile felony charges for criminal threat to cause terror, evacuation or disruption were filed on Oct. 9 against Gavin Small, the student who allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the school.
To read the original story, see the Oct. 10 edition of the Chanute Tribune.
