Arcadia board hears from community on Bagstad posts
The District of Arcadia School Board heard just under 30 minutes of public comments at their regular meeting Monday night in regards to recent social media postings by their superintendent, Lance Bagstad.
About a third of the approximately 30 audience members in attendance voiced concerns ranging from the content of the posts themselves, to transparency in the discipline process. Some outright called for Bagstad's firing, or suggested the board would be held accountable for retaining Bagstad if another issue arose.
The post many speakers referenced in their comments was a Facebook status update from Bagstad's account, which has since been deleted, criticizing supporters of President Donald Trump. The post, obtained by the Trempealeau County Times, in its entirety from Sept. 30 read:
"Trump is a child. He is like the kid in the toy isle (sic) throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants. If you continue to support him, you are simply being controlled by a child. Think for yourself. You might have to become a gown (sic) up. If you blindly follow trump and his childish behavior, I bet you also just bought your child that toy so you wouldn't have to have a backbone and be a parent. You follow trump because you have no backbone to stand up to his behavior and you won't stand up to your friends because you are afraid they might be upset with you. Again, be an adult and have a backbone."
Another recent post of Bagstad's, referenced by at least one speaker, referred to Trump as a "clown," a "racist," and "complete narcissist."
RELATED: ARCADIA SUPERINTENDENT APOLOGIZES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
Those that did speak elicited nodding heads and affirmative remarks from many of those that did not, suggesting the majority of those in attendance took issue with the posts. The consensus of many who spoke were concerns of the example the incident set for the district.
Others claimed they would be withdrawing future support of the district, indicating their trust in leadership was fractured. Bagstad acknowledged after the meeting that he would work to regain the faith of the community.
"I need to work to rebuild the trust by continuing to focus on the good work that our staff and our students do every single day, while always looking out for the best interest of the district," Bagstad said. "I will work to rebuild trust through my deeds and actions as we move forward."
School board president Paul Servais said the district did not condone the political posts, adding that they did not represent the views of the district. He continued by saying that disciplinary action, as is the case with any district employee, would remain confidential. Servais did indicate that Bagstad had issued a public apology, and the district had reached out to staff to evaluate any damage his posts may have caused.
The district is also pursuing social media etiquette training to be implemented district-wide, and the drafting of social media policy guidelines for staff and administration going forward.
