Parents criticize Helena Flats School following charges against superintendent

Parents on Tuesday took the opportunity to tell the Helena Flats School board they are concerned with the state of the school following allegations that the school’s superintendent had an altercation with a student. 

Superintendent Andy Maheras earlier this month pleaded not guilty to two charges of misdemeanor assault related to the incident. Maheras, who is working from home while the case is pending, was in attendance. 

After the meeting adjourned, Maheras declined to make any statements about the alleged assault.

Although the board didn’t address the pending criminal case or assault allegations, three individuals in the small audience made their thoughts known during the public comment period held at the end of the meeting. 

“In light of this recent situation, I just wanted to say that I'm very concerned with what's happening in our school, with the recent events that have transpired and everything,” parent Rob Treat said.

His current concern  — having to explain what was happening at school to his child, a Helena Flats second-grader.

“I have to literally sit down and talk to my second-grader because he can read the newspaper and he can see what's happening. … I mean that's my major concern right now. I'd like to make sure that's known with this board,” Treat said.

According to court documents filed Nov. 20 in Flathead County Justice Court, the alleged assault took place Aug. 31 after Maheras attempted to discipline a 12-year-old boy who was kissing a 13-year-old girl in the hallway. 

On Wednesday, the Daily Inter Lake reached out to board chair Jessica Dyer asking if she wanted to respond to the public comments. Typically board members don’t respond to comments during meetings. 

“The Helena Flats school board, administration, and staff are all committed to providing the best education that we can for our students. We have an excellent staff and a motivated school board that are both supported by an amazing community. We will continue to work together as a team to ensure that our students are safe and are being provided the education that they deserve,” Dyer said in an email.

Anything related to the superintendent on Tuesday was limited to an informational item to briefly discuss the administrator’s upcoming evaluation scheduled for the Jan. 16 board meeting. The evaluation will likely be held in executive session and closed to the public if the board chair determines that “the demands of individual privacy clearly exceed the merits of public disclosure.” An individual has the option to waive their right to privacy.

During public comment, Brian Ek, who is a parent of two former Helena Flats students, spoke at length, voicing his criticisms and what he viewed as the school’s lack of accountability and transparency in matters of student safety and discipline and curriculum standards. 

When his children started at Helena Flats as kindergartners, he held the school in high regard. He spent time volunteering as a playground monitor and his wife served on the parent-teacher organization. Over time, his opinion of Helena Flats as a“10-star” school took a downturn when his children entered middle school.

“And I had to remove my children. What I found out was that this beautiful elementary school when you hit middle school, the wheels fell off the bus. I was blown away by things that came to light to me that I'm not allowed to talk about tonight.” 

Ek took the school board to task saying more than once the community has been left in the dark. 

“I think you are all very, very guilty of levels of incompetence and or negligence or in choosing repeatedly to allow things to continue when there is no accountability. When people are not held to the standards that are printed, that are posted,” he said, reaching below his seat and loudly tapping a thick binder containing school district policies and other documents. 

“I'm really hoping now that there's a light on this school …” he said.

“These children have been failed for years and years. Mine can't come back,” he later said.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction releases report cards on schools using standardized test score data as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act to hold school districts accountable for student achievement in math, reading and science. The 2021-22 report card shows Helena Flats was identified for “targeted support and improvement,” indicating it has a student group performing in the lowest 5% of all Montana schools. For Helena Flats, that was the economically disadvantaged student group.

To the comments about curriculum, Stephanie Brown, a parent of a Helena Flats kindergartner and second-grader, offered a different perspective speaking positively about the quality of education her children are receiving

“I'm so grateful for our teachers and our elementary school teachers. My kids are both advanced readers, and they've gone out of their way to make sure that my kids continue to learn on that trajectory, sending them to other classrooms and making sure that they're very transparent with curriculum,” she said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.