School board meeting Wednesday regarding principal’s resignation
District also being sued by
family of student who sustained burn
A special meeting of the Prairie du Chien School Board will be held on Wednesday regarding the possible resignation of Bluff View Principal Aaron Amundson. The meeting will begin sometime after a 5:15 p.m. expulsion hearing has concluded.
The agenda states that the board will also discuss the coverage of the Bluff View principal position for the remainder of the 2018-2019 school year and also for 2019-2020.
The meeting will be held in closed session. However, any action taken by the board will have to be done in open session.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction had previously filed a notice that it may revoke Amundson’s administrator license. Amundson’s attorney denied wrongdoing and called for some counts to be dismissed. She also said Amundson has been denied his right to face his accusers. The DPI website says the case is still under investigation. A conference call will be held at the end of April to set a hearing date for the possible license revocation by the DPI.
In a civil case, the school district is being sued for $50,000 regarding a child abuse case involving a student at the school last year. Amundson was found not guilty in Crawford County Circuit Court in that criminal case. The family of the student, however, is now suing the school district.
In 2018, Amundson was charged with applying a chemical and using a scouring pad to remove an obscenity written on a 14-year-old student’s hand. The chemical caused a burn to the hand.
On Aug. 23, 2018, Amundson was found not guilty by a jury of one count of child abuse-recklessly causing harm.
The father and his child are now suing the school district and two other parties for damages. One of the parties, EMC Property and Casualty Company, has provided liability insurance coverage to the district and/or its employees. The other party named in the suit, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, made conditional payments on behalf of the child for injuries sustained in the incident.
The complaint alleges that as a result of negligence by the district and or its employees, the child suffered a serious injury that may be permanent.
Because of past and future pain, disfigurement, continuing medical care, wage loss and loss of companionship for his parents, the family is seeking $50,000, according to the complaint.
The school district has denied allegations of negligence by the district and or its employees. The district also says the district and its insurer are immune from a lawsuit under state statute.
The case is expected to continue in La Crosse County Circuit Court. During a pretrial conference, a judge determined the matter can go to trial. A trial date could be set sometime in November.
The case could be settled out of court. If this were to happen, all parties would have to come to an agreement by Nov. 1, 2019.
