Photo: Dierdre Conde, Flickr

Photo: Dierdre Conde, Flickr

Concerned residents say they will demonstrate at the board meeting of the Anoka-Hennepin School District on Monday evening following news reports that two teachers in the district conspired to harass a student they thought was gay. The district agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a human rights complaint filed by the student’s parent.

Many Twin Cities residents want to know why the teachers were not disciplined and why they continue to teach.

“This school district has failed to provide the ’safe and respectful learning environment’ described in its vision statement,” said Minneapolis resident Katrina Plotz in a statement Monday. “And now they’re making excuses for behavior that should never be tolerated by students, let alone teachers, who are entrusted to provide for the safety and well-being of students while at school.”

The demonstration is being organized by members of several Facebook groups that cropped up after the news broke (disclosure: I’ve been involved with one such group, but haven’t planned any demonstrations).

The group says it will bring its concerns to the open comment portion of the board meeting and will file complaints with the teachers’ union and the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

The school district says that because of state laws governing the employment and termination of teachers, it decided not to proceed with removing the teachers from their positions. D.J. Tice at the Star Tribune this weekend outlined the difficulties in removing teachers.

The Strib also called for the teachers’ dismissal last week. “Why should they ever be allowed again to teach?” asked the paper’s editorial board.