It takes great courage to speak out, especially in a small community.
During Thursday’s school board meeting, Wolf Mom Laura Callahan addressed her concerns with the Coupeville School District.
She has been a frequent volunteer in local schools, and her children attend class in Coupeville.
I am running Callahan’s words, unedited, as a letter to the editor, so that those not in attendance or watching the stream of the meeting can be part of the ongoing discussion.
Thank you for listening.
What I am going to say won’t be easy for anyone, but it comes from a place of deep care and love for the kids of Coupeville.
This has taken a lot of thought and reflection but is rooted in a love for the kids, our school, and our community.
I’m here today not just as a parent, but as a Coupeville alumnus, as someone who’s spent the last two and a half years in our schools, volunteering, mentoring, and getting to know our students and staff.
When my daughters arrived at Coupeville Middle/High School, they were welcomed in.
Public school was new to them, and there was hesitation, but the care they were given and the sense of belonging they experienced made our school feel special. It was safe.
They weren’t just a number, they had a name; they were important, valued, and my girls were known.
Sadly, in the past six months under new leadership, that spirit has faded.
We’ve shifted from a culture of connection and individuality to one that seems to be driven by compliance, control, and fear.
Our new culture feels more like a behavioral correction center then a place of belonging for our kids.
It is sad to see youthful enthusiasm quenched to enhance an “image”, or when rules supersede relationships.
Parents and students have shared they feel the new model of leadership seems to have a bent to intimidation and coercion.
Our leadership should be modeling the behavior we want from our students.
We should not be teaching kids to just comply, we should be inspiring them, allowing them to ask questions, wrestling with the big things in life, giving them spaces to grow.
Providing a safe place to fail and still be protected and loved.
That’s what real education looks like. That is how true change is made.
In addition, many staff no longer feel safe or supported.
Talented educators we love are leaving our kids, not because they don’t love their work or their students, but because the climate has become toxic.
This isn’t just speculation, it’s real, and it’s impacting our kids, in a very negative way.
And what’s worse? The silence.
Decisions are being made behind closed doors, dismantling a student-first approach with no explanation.
Families are in the dark. Staff are afraid to speak up. The lack of transparency is unacceptable.
We’re told to “trust the process,” but what we’re seeing does not inspires trust.
Good families are leaving. I’m one of them.
I’m planning to pull my youngest daughter from Coupeville at the end of this year without any significant changes, as this is no longer a safe place for her.
We all want safety, inspiration, and growth for our kids, but that cannot be achieved through fear or control.
It takes respect, transparency, and collaboration from the TOP DOWN.
Superintendent Leatherwood, this school was not broken.
It didn’t need a culture change; it needed leadership that would listen and support its people.
You inherited a dedicated staff who loved kids and community who supported them, but the leadership model being used is driving OUR people away.
If you can’t see the damage being done, I urge you to reconsider if your place is in our district.
Coupeville School Board, your silence is being noticed and taken as inaction. I urge you to ask hard questions and look deeper.
Talk and listen to our staff and to the parents.
Good people are taking their kids elsewhere for a reason. Staff are walking away. Our students are losing people they trust.
Find out why!
I have letters from those who want their voices heard but are hesitant to speak out due to fear of retaliation to themselves or their child. I will be sending these to the board.
My understanding is that none of our board members have their children in Coupeville’s middle and high schools currently, so I ask you to listen to those of us who do.
Things are not good. We are not all okay.
Students, parents, and staff are upset and scared of the path our school is on. We are losing trust.
Thank you.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
One school board member, Nancy Conard, does have a child attending CHS. Her granddaughter Madison McMillan, who is she helping raise, is a senior.
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