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Parents upset as Wisconsin Rapids schools report increase in behavior issues

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Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School

Parents are speaking out as behavior issues rise at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WAOW) -- Parents are speaking out as behavior issues rise at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School.

They've reported a sharp increase in everything from bullying and violence, to truancy and theft, to tardiness.

"My oldest child got bullied the whole time he was there, the three years, " said one Wisconsin Rapids mom, who did not want to be named. "[He] brought home notes of students telling him to kill himself."

She says she was at a loss watching her children struggle, while she says administration did nothing.

"It's hard to watch your kids struggle, they struggle being a teenager itself is difficult," she said. "And then when you don't have the support from outside sources outside the home, they're there to protect your child."

She's not alone. Several parents News 9 reached out to had similar experiences with their own kids.

District superintendent Craig Broeren says he knows the problem is growing.

"I wouldn't go as far as calling it a crisis, I'd go as far as saying it's a distinct issue," he said.

In the last year, 450 students at WRAMS received some sort of behavioral infraction, but he says the children involved in more serious incidents make up only a small percentage of the student body.

Still, Broeren says he acknowledges parents' concerns.

"I understand and recognize that, which is why we can't be reticent and sit here," he said. "When things happen we're absolutely going to take reasonable action and do what we can."

Those actions include two behavioral health programs, combining academics with social and emotional learning and leadership in a small group setting.

Those programs will be implemented in the upcoming school year.

Have story ideas? You can send them to nsopyla@waow.com 

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