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Bangor School officials discuss video fallout at tense community meeting

Posted at 10:20 PM, Mar 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-20 22:37:12-04

BANGOR, Mich. -- Bangor School officials on Monday night discussed how the district handled fallout from two controversial videos involving staff members.

In one of the videos, teachers are seen talking at a bar, playing an inappropriate game and allegedly mentioning students by name. The other one appears to show a teacher duct taping a kid to a chair.

The videos eventually led to the resignation of two teachers and a secretary.

Monday night, Bangor Schools Chief Operations Officer Dennis Paquette laid out the exact timeline of how they handled the incidents.

There was no shortage of public comment at the meeting, and the school board had to extend how much time was allotted for people to speak.

This time, however, there was a shift in opinions.

At previous meetings, many people spoke out against the school board and how the cases were handled. On Monday, though, some people came out in strong support of the district.

Some who spoke at the meeting took an aggressive approach, calling out people who previously questioned the school's decisions and standards.  They referenced a Facebook group called "Vikings against the school board."

"For the stupid Facebook page that you've made I... you guys do not get involved in this school unless something bad happens," Megan Brenne, a former student at Bangor, said at the meeting.

Members of the 'Vikings against the school board' group want something besides an apology: they want more answers. It's something that the mayor of Bangor agrees with.

"As educators in our community, you are supposed to hold people accountable," said Mayor Nick Householder. "Ensure our children get the best education they can. That's not happening."

People agreed to disagree at the end of the meeting, but some say the attention has everyone watching the school board and administration much more closely.

"We need to keep the pressure on them and keep doing what's right and holding people accountable and now they know people are watching," said Bangor resident Lucas Klenig.