Working at the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton School District became a nightmare for several educators, especially women, in recent years. That’s what I found, as part of a lengthy investigation.
The educators called it a toxic and sexist atmosphere, where they were not listened to, treated disrespectfully, and had safety concerns. They also said there’s a lack of discipline against misbehaving students.
Several of those educators were either fired under questionable circumstances or left on their own because they couldn’t take it anymore.
DGF Superintendent Shannon Hustad declined to comment on this story. However, the educators have horror stories they have shared with us.
Lisa Prindle-Frank has worked in education for 30 years, including as a teacher in Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.
“It’s the worst school district I have ever worked at,” Prindle-Frank told me. “I have PTSD from the lack of support.”
Prindle-Frank had a transgender student who was being harassed by students and the staff. One teacher allegedly called the student an “it.”
“One day, that student fell into my arms and was crying,” Prindle-Frank said. “She said, ‘I wish I was dead. Nobody understands me.’”
Prindle-Frank reported it to the principal (who has since left DGF schools).
“I said, ‘Do you realize her civil rights are being violated?’ He said, ‘I don’t want to hear about it.’ He told me to mind my own business.”
The transgender student was so traumatized that she moved to a different school district.
There were other disturbing situations.
“After I told a student to get off his phone, he called me a f*****g c**t,” Prindle-Frank said. “I told the principal. He said, ‘That’s your f****** problem. You deal with it.’”
Prindle-Frank said the student was not disciplined.
“I felt defeated,” she told me. “I questioned whether I was in the right profession.”
In her classroom, mice were falling from the ceiling.
Former DGF High School student Kaylee Ziburski holding a jar with mice in it. The mice came through the ceiling and walls in her classroom at DGF High School. / Photo courtesy of Lisa Prindle-Frank.
“It was disgusting,” Prindle-Frank said. “They told us they would take care of it. They did not. The mice were showing up several times a day for months. It was gross.”
Kaylee Ziburski was a student in the class with the mice.
“I was catching mice and taking them out of the room,” Ziburski told me. “I took 10 to 15 mice. It was every day. They were coming from the walls. It was gross. I talked to the principal. He laughed it off and said, ‘Keep catching the mice.’”
Meantime, Prindle-Frank said the temperature in her classroom was 90 degrees for the entire school year.
The thermostat in Lisa Prindle-Frank’s classroom at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School.
“They said they were working on it, but it never seemed to get fixed,” Prindle-Frank said. “It was very uncomfortable. We had to bring in water. The students had to wear T-shirts and shorts. I told them we were dying in there.”
At the end of her second year at DGF, Prindle-Frank was fired. She was not given a reason.
“It was demeaning and humiliating there,” Prindle-Frank said.
Carrie Kinslow was an art teacher at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School for six years.
“There were times when students felt they had the privilege of not getting in trouble for their behavior,” Kinslow told me. “Many times, I felt that the bully was rewarded, instead of the staff being supported. I was getting harassed by a student because he knew he could get away with it.”
One time, Kinslow said a student pulled her aside and showed her a photo of himself holding assault weapons. She said the student hinted he might use them in school or at the prom.
Kinslow was horrified and frightened. She said she reported the incident to the principal, and the student was talked to, but there were no consequences for the student.
Former Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School teacher Carrie Kinslow
“I felt very sad. I felt dismissed,” Kinslow said. “I felt like how can we all be so blind, with everything that is happening. How do you not take these things seriously?”
Later, Kinslow said that same student showed her photos of the ammunition he purchased. This time, she reported it to the school resource officer, and the student was disciplined.
For Kinslow, it was too late. She decided to quit.
“I couldn’t stay there for the sake of my mental health,” she said. “It was very painful. Teachers there are frustrated. The teachers are not heard. They could have been doing so much better there.”
Margaux Hylla was an elementary school principal in DGF for six years. She voluntarily left the school district because she was fed up.
“I wasn’t listened to. I had no support,” Hylla told me. “Me and other women were treated horribly. It was very chauvinistic. Men totally shut me down.”
Hylla said sexism and sexual innuendos were rampant at meetings she attended with other administrators.
“They would make frequent comments about boobs, bra sizes and butts, and say things like, ‘I would like to shake that sugar.’ I felt very uncomfortable. It was disgusting. It was so inappropriate.”
Hylla said when she made suggestions at meetings, she was told to shut up. So, she resigned from her $139,000 a year position, without having another job lined up.
“The environment there is toxic,” Hylla said. “I couldn’t do it anymore. My opinion didn’t matter. It was pointless to stay. On my last day, I walked to my car and cried. I will never walk in that building again.”
All three of these educators are now working at other school districts and are very happy.
Prindle-Frank spent the last two years teaching at Horace High School.
“Horace High School is the most amazing place I have ever worked at,” she said. “They made me feel so special. It was the best thing that ever happened to me as a teacher.”
That’s a stark contrast to how she feels about her experience at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.
“They could offer me a million dollars a year to work there, but I would never go back there,” Prindle-Frank said.
Next week: Controversial rainbow stickers and a Nazi salute.
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