Prayer, protest and public discussion continue over teacher conduct at Denman Elementary School

QUINCY — Denman Elementary School parents implored the Quincy Public School Board to launch a new investigation, install more cameras, and remove two teachers who were investigated for spanking students on their birthday and taping their mouths shut to keep them quiet.

For 30 minutes Wednesday night, parents and their supporters told the board they questioned the thoroughness of QPS’s investigation.

“The Denman case was dropped because the spanking and taping were not done for discipline,” said parent Laura Shaw. “Frankly, it would be less creepy if they had been done for discipline. It appears as though they are spanking and taping the kids for fun and turning around and telling everyone, including DCFS, the kids like it. It’s a tradition. What kind of weird, creepy tradition is this?”

As MRN first reported in May, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, or DCFS, confirmed during a November 2024 investigation that teacher Kimberly Kirby acknowledged “light spankings” and that teacher Jennifer Oitker said on occasion she and Kirby would “whack” students on the shoulder or buttocks and that students did the same back.

But the report also mentions that other students were afraid to let friends and teachers at school know it was their birthday.

Oitker is also quoted in the report as saying the students knew it was a joke, and some even requested the tape as a test to see who could stay quiet the longest.

One of the students’ mothers submitted a formal letter to the board Wednesday night. “What’s most troubling is that I did not hear about this incident from the school itself,” wrote Sarah Goodapple. “Today it’s tape in gym class. Tomorrow it could be something far worse, done by someone else using the same excuse. It’s just a joke.”

DCFS concluded the behavior that had been going on for years was inappropriate, but did not cause a substantial risk of injury since there was no pain involved or marks left behind.

The case was then relinquished to the Quincy Public School District.

Superintendent Todd Pettit said he has nothing more to say beyond his Facebook statement in July that the QPS administration made it clear to all involved that this type of behavior is not acceptable in any school setting. He also said the behavior had not continued beyond November.

A statement that still irks Brooke Wells who spoke for a second time before the board to insist that her 6-year-old daughter was restrained and taped after November, around Easter time.

“What exactly does a child have to do to be believed here?” Wells asked. “Does there need to be video evidence?”

Several of the speakers said they wanted more security cameras installed. Namely, in a hallway off the gym where some of the questionable conduct is believed to have occurred. Parents said that area has a blind spot that is out of any security camera range.

“We will review thoughtfully the information we heard tonight,” Pettit told MRN after public comment. “My message stands that students are first. My utmost responsibility is to the safety of students of this district, and I will stand on that.”

When asked about parents’ call for another investigation into Kirby and her posting of student photos on her personal Facebook page, he said district policy is reiterated with the staff.

“We should not be posting photos of students,” he said.

But he would not say whether that would be grounds for dismissal, citing a personnel matter. That’s also why the district won’t reveal the status of the teachers, either their punishment or if they remain at Denman.

Parents claimed that there were students and staff who offered but were never interviewed. Again, the Superintendent maintained that it was a thorough probe conducted by complaint officers who are trained within the district, but not law enforcement.

Something that did not ring true for parent Katie Myers.

“You value self-preservation over the safety of our children,” Myers told the board. “Both Kirby and Oitker were present and teaching our children during this active investigation. Admin chose not to put them on leave because they would have had to notify all Denman families.”

About an hour before the meeting, roughly a dozen community members held signs and donned tape across their mouths in protest against the district.

As of Wednesday night, 415 people had signed their name in support of a Change.org petition calling for the termination of Kirby and Oitker from the district. The petition was created July 2 by an account named The People. 

Kayla Boucher, the parent of a child in the district who was previously subject to bullying, said the ordeal was a reflection of the kind of behavior that is tolerated by the district.

“Monkey see, monkey do,” she said after removing the tape from her mouth. “It’s something that we really have to stop.”

Daniel Grainger, the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, emphasized the importance of the group’s presence before leading it in prayer.

“What you’re doing here today is very important, because it’s speaking to the ways that little actions build up,” he said. “Their actions matter. It’s really important to stand up here today and say, ‘We need some accountability here.’”

As the group held hands and bowed their heads, Grainger requested divine guidance.

“United in our love for the children of this district, we gather with hope that our voices will be heard and that meaningful change and accountability will follow,” he said. “Help us speak with both firmness and grace. Give us wisdom to know the right words, words that will open hearts and minds. 

“May our testimonies honor the experiences of the children that have been affected and bring clarity. We lift up the students of Denman Elementary. Protect them, Lord, as they return to school in August. Surround them with adults who understand appropriate boundaries.”

Boucher described herself as “a nobody” who “worked 40 hours per week,” but the situation has ignited aspirations of running for a position on the Quincy School Board. 

Shelley Arns, Latonya Brock, Curtis Sethaler and Jim Whitfield will be up for re-election in 2027.

As a heat advisory raged on and the rest of the group made their way into the QPS Board Office, Boucher remained stationed outside for the duration of the meeting — a sign in each hand and emerald green tape across her mouth.

Protesters were not allowed to take their signs or other pictures and displays into the School Board meeting.

Of the eight people who addressed the board, one spoke in support of the teachers.

“DCFS conducted a full investigation,” Steve Homan said. “No evidence of abuse or grooming was found. The case was closed. Despite that, rumors and assumptions are still circulating. Please think before sharing or repeating things that aren’t verified. Lives are being affected.”

The DCFS report actually stated that Kirby’s practice of administering “birthday spankings” and the use of tape over students’ mouths had been ongoing for several years and was “wildly inappropriate, but not criminal.”

According to the Illinois Compilation of School Discipline Laws and Regulations, “A physical restraint shall not impair a student’s ability to breathe or communicate normally, obstruct a student’s airway, or interfere with a student’s ability to speak.”

MRN journalists J. Robert Gough, Michele McCormack, Aspen Gengenbacher and Annie C. Reller contributed to this report.