A parent told the Saint Croix Central School District board on Dec. 10 that their 14-year-old son was physically assaulted by a 17-year-old senior during a team meal on July 24, 2025, and again in the high-school locker room, and that school responses have fallen short.

Reading a prepared letter during public comment, the parent described the senior pulling the freshman by the neck in a cafeteria line, later grabbing and pinning him in the locker room and forcing another freshman to run "with his ******* in his face." The parent said the senior told the freshman, "you need to watch yourself, you little n word," and that no teammates intervened.

The parent said the family reported the incident to law enforcement on July 25, 2025. They told the board that Barron police located a video of the incident at Barron High School and forwarded footage to the Hammond police department; the parent said they requested the video be redacted so school administrators could view it but that, according to the family, high school principal Brian Johnson and the superintendent (named in the letter as Tim Wicker/Whitaker) refused to view the footage with them. The family says they raised the matter with assistant principal and activities director RJ Dilcher, principal Brian Johnson and football head coach John Tackman, and that the senior received short-term team sanctions (sitting for two games) but returned to practices the next day.

The letter cites the district's co-curricular handbook (Article 5, Section 5) requiring student-athletes to "conduct themselves in a manner which upholds the principles and standards of the Saint Croix Central School District and WIAA," and argues the described behavior amounts to hazing and misconduct that requires stronger accountability.

The parent described ongoing effects on their son, including missing cleats, mailbox vandalism at home, increased anxiety, declining school attendance and social ostracism; the family said it is documenting incidents and asked the board how the district will ensure student safety going forward. The family also said it emailed the superintendent and board on Nov. 15, 2025 and had received no acknowledgement.

The board did not provide an on-the-record response in the public-comment period recorded in the transcript. The parent asked the board to enforce appropriate consequences and lead by example; the transcript does not record any immediate formal action or a commitment by the board to reopen or review discipline in this case.

Next steps noted in the meeting record: the parent said they have referred the matter to law enforcement and signaled intent to file complaints if the family does not receive a satisfactory administrative response. The board moved later in the meeting into closed session citing state statute (see separate action item) for personnel- and contract-related matters, but the public record in the transcript does not show a formal investigative outcome or further public discussion of this complaint.