A trip from a Michigan school district brought students to a restaurant with an attached lounge that included stripper poles, according to a trustee on the school board, who called the incident an example of "poor judgment."
The incident highlighted by Libs of TikTok Twitter account, showed middle school students pole dancing.
Andrew Weaver, who is a trustee on the school board, said students began dancing on the poles and took photos of the incident. It occurred in November 2022, when a middle school teacher at Hart Middle School took kids on a school trip to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, according to Weaver.
"The students were… taken to lunch at Niki's Pizza, which is attached to Niki's Lounge. The students were moved from Niki's Pizza due to lack of available space to the Lounge," Weaver said on a post on Facebook.
He added that the students, "tried some pole dancing," and posted a photo of the incident with the kids' faces blocked out.
Weaver ran for the board trustee position and won amid growing frustration what he and deemed were anti-parent shenanigans in the district. For example, a lawsuit that was settled for tens of thousands of dollars alleged the district was spying on parents' online conversations in Facebook groups, and in at least one case, retaliating.
The trustee of the board, speaking in a personal capacity, told Fox News Digital that the district wasn't transparent when the incident occurred, and didn't sufficiently address parents' concerns about the controversy.
"How did we get here? How do we not just communicate clearly to parents what happened? A mistake was made and address it and make sure that we have the policies in place to prevent it from happening again in the future," he said. "It's not a witch hunt. No one's going after anyone. It's really just about how do we make sure that we communicate properly."
Fox News Digital reached out to the district for comment about the alleged pole dancing incident, and a spokesperson said,' "Rochester Community Schools appreciates the strong teacher and caregiver partnerships as we work together to enhance classroom learning opportunities."
The district acknowledged the students were taken to Niki's for lunch but wouldn't comment further.
"Parents and caregivers are always encouraged throughout the school year to contact their school administrator with questions or concerns," the spokesperson added. "Proposed field trips are evaluated by a curriculum team and require a parental/guardian permission slip. RCS may ask parents, caregivers, or other responsible adults to serve as field trip chaperones when appropriate. Adult chaperons are required to complete background checks. The safety and security of our students, staff and school community is always our priority."
The superintendent of the district, Robert Shaner, said he would consider bringing legal action against the outspoken board trustee, Weaver.
"On Dec. 21, 2022, Dr. Shaner provided a letter to the Board of Education. The correspondence reinforced the need for a new board member to comply with board bylaws and the code of cooperation so that the district’s focus can remain on the education of all RCS students," the district stated. "The letter did not include any threats."
