Wausau East band teacher who used racial and homophobic slurs toward student resigns

WAUSAU − A Wausau East High School band teacher who has been at the center of a harassment and discrimination controversy has resigned.

Robert Perkins' resignation was accepted by the Wausau School Board during its meeting Monday, according to a district news release. The district said it will not release any additional information at this time.

On April 5, Twan and Manee Vongphakdy of Weston and their son, who was a senior at the high school, filed a formal complaint with Superintendent Keith Hilts against Perkins, saying he directed racist and sexually dehumanizing slurs at their son, an openly gay Asian American student. The student, a senior, never returned to school after the complaint and missed scholarship awards night, although he ultimately participated in his commencement ceremony.

Five days after the complaint was filed, the district placed Perkins on leave, pending an investigation.

The complaint was dismissed by the district in late April. A report said that while Perkins engaged in "insensitive and unprofessional conduct" and used language that was "racial or sexist," it did not rise to the level of harassment nor discrimination.

The state Department of Public Instruction opened an "educator misconduct investigation" in early May, after USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin first detailed a series of incidents involving Perkins

Then the Wausau Board of Education announced it was conducting its own investigation into the teacher's conduct after board members heard a litany of complaints about Perkins, some from former students, and about the district's handling of the Vongphakdys complaint against him. Shortly thereafter, the decision to dismiss the Vongphakdys complaint was thrown out because district officials failed to follow multiple rules regarding how Title IX complaints should be handled.

One major deficiency in the district's investigation, as explained in its own manual, was not sharing its investigation report with both parties at several critical stages. Prior to DPI stepping in and enforcing a deadline of June 2 to submit the investigation report, the family never had an opportunity to review it, ask questions or push back against certain testimony — which is part of their legal right under Title IX law.

"We finally saw the investigation report, which has corroborated that he's made racist and homophobic slurs," Twan Vongphakdy said. "Witness testimony showed a pattern of behaviors — it was not just one comment, and not just one student witnessed it."

Twan Vongphakdy on Tuesday expressed relief over Perkins' resignation, but the saga, he said, is far from over.

Although the board accepted Perkins' resignation, the investigation into both his conduct and the handling of the investigation is still taking place. This time around, the Vongphakdys said they feel satisfied by the communication and transparency, and hope to seek full accountability that confirms his behaviors violated Title IX laws and endangered the safety of students.

"The problems our family’s experiences have exposed are much bigger than one person. Multiple administrators failed to identify and bring an end to Perkin’s egregious conduct," Twan Vongphakdy said in a press release Tuesday morning. "Instead, they made excuses and tried to brush his bullying under the rug, in a way that caused deep harm to our child."

The student, meanwhile, said he feels vindicated after months of enduring victim-blaming and experiencing anxiety so debilitating he had to withdraw from his final month of high school. With the news of Perkins' resignation, he said he feels he can turn the page and move toward healing and closure. In the fall, he will begin college at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"When he went into this, he wanted to protect other students. The community will be safer because this teacher will not be in the classroom to harm others," said Jennifer Yang, the student's aunt.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin has not named the son throughout its coverage because, even though he is well known, his parents fear it would exacerbate his anxiety and open him up to broader social media harassment.

Throughout the controversy, leaders from the Wausau Asian American community have rallied around the family. Manee Vongphakdy is a longtime counselor at Wausau East; her son was so traumatized by the incidents he had panic attacks.

The concern spread to the larger community. Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg at one point voiced her concern about the damage being done by the controversy.

Wausau has long been a hub of Southeast Asian immigrants.

This past school year, the Wausau School District reported 64% white students, 19% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 7% students of two or more races; 2% Black, and 1% American Indian/Alaskan native.

Churches and social service agencies initially settled Hmong refugees, along with some Vietnamese and Laotian refugees, beginning in the late 1970s. They were fleeing the communist takeover of the region, and many of the men had fought on the American side in the Vietnam War. Today, nearly one of every nine Wausau residents is of Asian descent, far and away the largest non-white group demographic group.

Jamie Rokus of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin contributed to this report.

This story will be updated.

More: 'Stopped before the engine arrived': High-pressure nozzles make firefighting safer, more efficient

More: ‘A game changer for central Wisconsin’: U.S. Senior Open to bring $25M to Stevens Point area

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wausau East band teacher who used racial and homophobic slurs resigns