The North Kitsap School Board and Superintendent Patty Page share responsibility for recent failures to communicate with parents about situations in which their children’s well-being has been at risk. Children on a bus for students with special needs engaged in sexual activity or were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse. Odors, including natural gas, at Poulsbo Elementary School caused headaches and nausea among children and staff members and on two occasions compelled teachers to move students out of their classrooms.

The failures to communicate are inexcusable. In each case, children’s emotional and physical well-being were put at risk. Parents were denied the opportunity to determine whether their children had been exposed to anything affecting their emotional or physical health, and to act accordingly. They were denied their inherent rights as parents.

Regarding the school bus for students with special needs, Page said she needed to wait until officers completed their investigation before she contacted parents, because she didn’t know the identities of all of the students and she didn’t want to tell parents something had happened in case nothing did.

But according to investigators’ reports, Page knew on May 27 that behavior of a sexual nature had taken place when the district’s attorney reviewed video footage from the school bus and advised Page to give the tapes to law enforcement. The next day, the county prosecutor asked a sheriff’s investigator to meet with a boy involved and his mother, to talk about behavior. So, clearly, the fact that something wrong had taken place was established.

And, according to an investigation report, Page gave an investigator photos of the students that would have been on the bus with the student in question — one month before one of the parents said she was contacted by Page.

The right course of action would have been to notify parents that something had happened and that the events were being investigated to determine all of the facts. Parents could have been directed to helpful resources. And they could have been assured that they would be informed as more information became available.

The school board needs to show some leadership here. The superintendent must be reprimanded. And the school board needs to ensure protocols are in place — starting with having adequate supervision on the bus.