Westonka Resident Seeks Answers from Superintendent About 'Harlem Shake' Suspensions

Editor's note: The following is a letter sent by Lake Minnetonka resident Tom Notch to Westonka Superintendent Kevin Borg regarding the recent suspensions of six Mound Westonka High School students. Mr. Notch is a long time resident of the Westonka area, a former school board member and the parent of grown children.

Dear Superintendent Borg,

I received the following email auto reply from your computer last Monday indicating that you were out of the office until Monday, Feb. 25th.  

"I am out of the office until Monday, Feb. 25.  I will respond to your message as soon as possible when I return."

This prompts the following few questions for you:

1. Were you out of the district office and unavailable last Friday afternoon (Feb. 22) at the time the Harlem Shake incident took place?

2. Were you available Friday afternoon and over the weekend via your cell phone either by voice calls or text messaging?

3  Were any attempts to contact you either successfully or unsuccessfully made by district staff on Friday afternoon / evening (Feb. 22)?  If so, by whom?

4. Did you participate in the discipline decisions on Friday (Feb. 22) made regarding the Harlem Shake?

5. Was Assistant Superintendent Mark Femrite present on duty at the school facilities last Friday afternoon?  If not, was he available by voice calls or text message? Were attempts to contact Mr. Femrite either successfully or unsuccessfully made by district staff on Friday afternoon/evening Feb 22. If so, by whom?  Did Mr. Femrite participate in disciplinary decisions?

6  Repeat item No. 5 questions, for school principal Keith Randklev.

7. Repeat item No. 5 questions for Assistant Principal Marty Fischer.

8. Does the school district have a policy on who exactly needs to present at the school facilities on "Duty Days" and which officials can be gone?

9. Please name everyone who participated in reviewing the Harlem Shake incident and deciding upon disciplinary action last Friday afternoon (Feb. 22)?

10. If more school officials than just Dion Koltes decided on the disciplinary action, why is he the only one being thrown under the bus and put on administrative leave at this time?

11. You stated during last Monday's (Feb. 25th) School Board Meeting that "I own this." Is there a reason why only Dion Koltes is being placed under the
bus and you are not joining him there if you do in fact "own this"?

12. School Board Chair Dave Botts participated in a radio broadcasted phone interview Tuesday afternoon (Feb 26) with John Williams of WCCO radio. He indicated that the Athletic Director was being investigated for additional allegations. Has Dave Botts been made aware that his further defamation of Dion Koltes could result in a huge lawsuit similar to what took place back in 2005 when a custodian won a suit for $1.28 million from the Westonka district?  

Since Dave was on the board at that time, he should be well aware of this event. I attached the pertinent documents for your convenience. Dave's radio interview is particularly troubling to me, since judgments made against the school district are paid for by a separate "Judgment Levy" that is an additional tax paid by all district residents, without their authorization or vote, above and beyond their existing school property taxes. I believe that it would wise for you and the school board to reign in Chair Dave Botts and ask for his resignation as his careless actions are putting the school district in further jeopardy on many levels.

13. At several meetings during my tenure on the school board, I brought up the fact that the Minnetrista Police Blotter published regularly in the Laker Newspaper had a sizable percentage of the police department's reported incidents taking place at the Westonka High School.  I stated that if the parents of students entrust their children's education to the district, that the district should personally provide school discipline for misbehavior and that students should not leave our school with a police records for lapses in their immature judgment, as these records are permanent and affect the ability of a student being accepted into post secondary institutions, receiving a job offer, or who-knows-what down the road.  The school board and you disagreed with me on this at the time.  After seeing the devastating results of the Harlem Shake incident, I beg you to reconsider and scale back the presence of police officers in our school buildings.

14. I hereby request a copy of the district's investigation report on the incident, which I understand is being conducted by an outside source. I accept the fact that names of students will need to be redacted from this report in order to conform with data privacy issues, but our community deserves nothing less.

Thanks,
Tom Notch