Parents Say They Were Never Informed After Sub Allegedly Bullied and Assaulted Student at Meadows Elementary
TOPEKA, KS — More questions are emerging about a substitute teacher at Meadows Elementary School who was quietly removed after what multiple parents and staff now describe as weeks of disturbing behavior inside a third-grade classroom.
Editor’s Note: This Is Topeka is not releasing the names of students, parents, or the gender of either party involved in this report to protect the identities and emotional well-being of those impacted—especially the children. Our goal is to shine a light on serious concerns without putting vulnerable individuals at risk of retaliation, exposure, or undue attention.
The teacher, known to students as Mr. Brown, was serving as a long-term substitute while the classroom’s assigned teacher was on maternity leave. According to three separate parents who spoke with This Is Topeka, concerns began weeks ago when students started describing Mr. Brown’s behavior as “increasingly erratic.” One parent told us her child was visibly shaken after coming home from school and reported that the substitute had “hit another student in the head” and was “encouraging students to bully him.”
The most disturbing allegation: Mr. Brown reportedly asked the entire class to write a paragraph about the so-called “problem student” detailing why the child was bad.
“When my child told me this, I thought it was absolutely batshit crazy,” the parent told us. “How could a teacher act this way? I assumed they had to be exaggerating.”
But similar accounts from other families are surfacing. Another parent said her child came home “emotional for several days” after witnessing Mr. Brown’s treatment of the student being targeted. “It wasn’t just unkind. It was bullying—by an adult in charge,” they said.
Multiple students allegedly attempted to report the behavior to the school principal, but according to parents, no communication was ever sent home. Weeks passed.
Now, This Is Topeka has confirmed through a district office employee that Mr. Brown is no longer employed with Topeka Public Schools. However, no notification has been provided to the families involved. Not a single parent we spoke with received an email, phone call, or written notice informing them that anything at all had occurred in their child’s classroom.
Two of the parents confirmed that their children said students were physically assaulted in the classroom.
While This Is Topeka is reserving judgment on whether the actions attributed to Mr. Brown occurred as described, the lack of transparency is beyond troubling. At best, it’s a communications failure. At worst, it reflects an institutional instinct to protect adults over children.
As expected, the district has maintained its position that “personnel matters remain confidential.” But at what point does “confidential” become complicit?
Parents are left wondering:
- Why weren’t we notified?
- Were other classrooms impacted?
- Is Mr. Brown working at a different local school?
- Were the police notified?
- And most urgently—how many more red flags have to be ignored before someone steps in?
If you are a parent, staff member, or former student with information about this situation, or if you experienced similar concerns at another school, This Is Topeka invites you to contact us confidentially at [email protected].
Because student safety shouldn’t be a secret.
