Lame Deer residents are calling for the suspension or removal of School Superintendent Theresa Keel following allegations of misconduct.
Keel is accused of spraying a student with an aerosol product while breaking up a conflict on the playground last week.
A town-hall meeting, which had already been scheduled before this incident, was held Monday, and many residents voiced their disapproval.
"We send our kids to school for them to be safe and then this happens?" one resident asked while holding back tears.
Keel acknowledged at the meeting that the spraying incident is being investigated by a private party. Family members of the students claim it was pepper spray or mace, but Keel disputes that. Citing advice from the district's attorney, she declined to get into specifics both at the meeting and in requests for an interview from MTN.
The student involved was a 12-year-old girl. Her primary guardians are her grandparents, Ambrose and Clementine Seminole. Ambrose Seminole said it was disappointing for Keel to not share any information regarding the incident.
"She really wasn't truthful to these people because that's what she does," he said. "She hides behind a school attorney, or whoever it is."
The Seminoles, along with many who attended the meeting, are calling for a change in leadership. Former district employees also told MTN they had concerns with her management.
Former Lame Deer school district human resources employee TJ Altekruse said the way Keels interacted with employees when she first got the job was shocking.
"In her zeal to create change, I feel like she bypassed the most important thing, which is relational connection," Altekruse said. "And that's especially important in a reservation community."
Altekruse said those negative interactions are a big reason why he chose to find a new job.
"There was a couple things that were like, 'Wow. Did that just happen?'" Altekruse said. "Just the disrespect was pretty alarming."
Altekruse is among a list of at least four employees who said they chose to leave the system due to Keel's leadership. His wife worked for the district on a contract basis and opted not to remain at her job for similar reasons.
"Some of those employees were elders, and if you disrespect our elders and our children, what're we left to do?" Altekruse said.
Altekruse, a Northern Cheyenne tribal member, said it would've been challenging to work in an environment that she felt bulldozed her culture.
"We have enough safety issues in our school," Altekruse said. "Our leadership should be our first line of defense. To hear about this is disappointing."
According to Keel's LinkedIn profile, her past stints as an administrator were brief. Her most recent was as a principal in Joliet, where she resigned after less than a year. Before that, she worked at a school in the Bozeman area called Gallatin Gateway, where her contract was not renewed, according to sources at the school.
Before Keel arrived in Montana, she was a principal for a school in Texas called Goose Creek. During her time there, the school was involved in a lawsuit for covering up the sexual assault of a four-year-old.
Keel did her best to address the concerns in Lame Deer Monday, and she said the truth will be uncovered through the private investigation.
"I came here deliberately, because I care about what happens to the children in this district," Keel said. "You can't believe everything you see on Facebook and you can't just believe rumors."
The Seminole said they're anxiously awaiting the results of the investigation into Keel.
"I know the truth," Seminole said. "Whatever happens, happens. As long as my granddaughter gets justice."
Related: Lame Deer parents want answers from superintendent about alleged incident
