In light of the local media’s one-sided coverage of unproven allegations by a student against a Wausau East band teacher, I shared the eyewitness accounts of Wausau East band students as posted on their Instagram page on Feedback today. It’s unfortunate that the local mainstream media didn’t take the time to provide both sides of the story, but rather is predictably seizing the unsubstantiated narrative and subjecting this teacher to a trial in the ‘court of public opinion’ by igniting hysteria from the usual cast of characters in our community.
Wausau East band students began a series of posts by stating the following:
These firsthand accounts were witnessed by Wausau East band students, whom (sic) of which come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences…
They went on to state:
We would have nothing to gain by supporting a teacher who does not support us.
They concluded with the following statement:
The accusations against Rob Perkins are widely dramatized and inaccurate. Students reported that if Perkins had said the things he was being accused of, they would not be comfortable being anywhere near him or his classroom.
Additionally, many news articles inaccurately claimed that Perkins tried to excuse his behavior by saying it was “for fun.” This phrase however, was never said by Rob, but instead by students who described to the HR officer that they felt the band room was a “fun, inclusive, and safe space.”
Our local media seems to have a habit of publishing unfounded and unproven accusations against community members. You would think that they would learn their lesson and be a bit more concerned about accuracy in light of recent litigation.
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