Weld Re4 School District

I am extremely disappointed with Weld County School District 4, specifically its transportation policies and lack of professionalism in handling student discipline. My experience has shown that the district does not prioritize fairness, communication, or even its own established policies when making decisions that significantly impact families. Recently, my kindergarten-aged son was suspended from the school bus for an entire month after bringing a toy Nerf gun onto the bus. While I understand the importance of safety, this punishment is excessive, inconsistent, and not developmentally appropriate for a five-year-old who had no prior behavioral issues. Here are just a few of the alarming issues I encountered: 1.) The Director of Transportation didn’t even know there was an appeals process! The district provides parents with a handbook stating that suspensions can be appealed, yet when I inquired, I was told no such process exists. How can district leadership be completely unaware of their own policies? 2.) Poor Communication & Mishandling of the Situation: The incident happened on March 17th, yet I was not informed until March 18th at 11:11 AM. The bus driver saw my son with the toy and only told him to put it away rather than confiscating it—proving they did not see it as a serious threat. If it was truly dangerous, why was my child allowed to take it home without immediate intervention? 3.) Discipline That Punishes Parents More Than the Student: The Director of Transportation admitted in an email that bus suspensions are often "more of a punishment for the parent than the student." As a single mother, this suspension puts an unnecessary burden on my ability to get my son to school, even though he posed no real threat. 4.) Inconsistencies & FERPA Violations: The punishment was delayed until after spring break—why, if this was supposedly a serious issue? My fourth-grade child, who was not involved, was spoken to by the bus driver about my younger son’s behavior. Why is my older child being involved in disciplinary matters that don’t concern him? This district’s disciplinary process is flawed, inconsistent, and unfairly punishes families rather than focusing on teaching young students lessons in a way they can actually understand. The lack of transparency, the failure to follow their own policies, and the refusal to reconsider such an extreme punishment for a kindergartener is unacceptable. If you’re a parent considering this district, be warned—they will not communicate with you properly, they will enforce unreasonable disciplinary measures, and their leadership does not even understand their own policies. I hope this review encourages the district to take a serious look at how they handle situations like this in the future. #WeldCountySchoolDistrict4 #UnfairPolicies #PoorCommunication #InconsistentDiscipline

This school district cares very little about the mental and emotional well being of their students. They move kids from one elementary school, to a middle school in a different city, then back to high school in a different city. How are these kids suppose to hold friendships!? Comfort? Stability? They also dismiss students who struggle at school, their “maxed out” on resources is a poor excuse that translate into “I don’t care”. I’m disappointed and look forward to the day where we are in a different school district. Good luck getting anyone to actually listen to your concerns and be open to a conversation on a solution.