Beloit school district cancels all classes over planned protest, cites safety

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Beloit students are getting an unexpected day off Friday. The School District of Beloit canceled class citing safety concerns surrounding a protest scheduled that day.

The district wrote on its website that the decision was made in conjunction with the Beloit Police Department. It did not cite the specific concerns surrounding the protest. After stating that administrators had learned of the event, which the district said would disrupt the day, the district explained, “(c)onsidering the behaviors, actions, and language of certain groups who do not consider the safety and well-being of others, our buildings are closed and there is no school today.” (emphasis theirs)

The police department echoed the district’s sentiment in its own statement Friday morning, blaming the protest for the district calling off classes and that the decision was made “solely” for the safety of the school and staff.”

Neither the school district nor the police department released details about the planned demonstration. However, a previous post on the district’s website alluded to a protest scheduled for the same day and time as the one that prompted Friday’s cancellation. That protest, for which organizers had created a Facebook event, is slated to begin at 3 p.m. outside the Beloit School District Building. They argued the demonstration was meant to show support for students “that are being intimidated by higher authority in school.”

The school district came under fire last week after allegations arose on Oct. 26 that a teacher at McNeel Intermediate School had taped a middle school student’s mask to his face after he pulled it below his nose. Organizers wrote that the boy claimed the tape was wrapped around his head multiple times and was done over the expressed objections of another teacher in the room. Afterwards, they continue, the child was not allowed to contact his parents.

The district disputed the representation of events, noting that a Beloit Police Dept. investigation found differing accounts of the incident among the student, his parents, and another teacher who was in the room and other students in class that day.

“School District of Beloit and the Beloit Police Department have investigated these allegations and in both investigations no wrongdoing was found,” Superintendent Dan Keyser was quoted as saying during Tuesday night’s school board meeting. Keyser went on to denounce the impending demonstration, accusing organizers, who he said were from “unknown individuals and unestablished organizations,” of propagating hate speech and indicated the district had received threats of violence. He also noted that many of the offending criticisms and comments were coming from those outside of Wisconsin.

“We will not stand for this and continue to use all of our resources both within the district and the community to address this head on,” he said.

NBC15 News is tracking the events in Beloit all day and will have updates throughout the day online and on NBC15 News this evening.

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