To the School Board President and esteemed Board Members of the Sun Prairie School District:

We, the undersigned parents, teachers, and concerned members of the Sun Prairie West High School and broader Sun Prairie School District community, are gravely concerned by the collective leadership and actions of Ms. Jen Ploeger (Principal/Administrator, SP West HS), Ms. Bridget M. Kotarak (Director of Student Policy & School Operations), and Mr. Brad Saron (Superintendent). For the immediate well-being and long-term success of our students, the integrity of our educational environment, and the restoration of public trust, we formally demand an immediate change in leadership, including the immediate resignation or termination of Ms. Jen Ploeger, Ms. Bridget M. Kotarak, Mr. Chris Sadler, Ms. Stephanie Leonard, and Mr. Brad Saron from their respective positions within the Sun Prairie School District.

The failures of leadership we've witnessed over the past 24 months have deeply wounded the very heart and soul of our school community. The school leadership has created a suffocating culture of fear, intimidation, and retaliation that has left our students and staff feeling unsafe, unheard, profoundly undervalued and victimized. The District Leadership has lied, ignored, dismissed, multiple formal complaints, many of which were denied based simply on the denials from the SP West Principal and Former Dean. District administrators, by defending and upholding the reported actions of the Principal Ploeger and the Former Dean, while falsely claiming to have investigated, encouraged the culture to continue and further shielded these bad actors from exposure.

The addition of 3 names to this petition is a direct result of the facts detailed in the official Criminal Complaint filed in court on 7/28/25 as public record, relating to the arrest of Robert Meiesegeier. These people and positions in SPSD were most directly related to the hiring, shielding, and protecting of Meiesegeier, and his actions, along with a few of his friends without appropriate qualifications or exemptions, but based solely on SPSD employee recommendations. Furthermore, the district HR position investigated these allegations simply by asking him, and when he denied the claims, as a mandated reported, she failed to report the investigation to anyone, including DPI, Dane County HH, SPSD school board. However, still felt it was necessary to tell the former Dean to "change his behavior." As the director in the top job, the Superintendent, Brad Saron according to multiple accounts was aware and also chose not to act.

It is entirely heartbreaking and unacceptable when serious claims of policy violations, including sexual misconduct and exploitation, discrimination, and retaliation are not just overlooked, but acknowledged [on the record, in official findings] by both school and district administrators, and allowed to persist: This isn't just about poor management or the actions of a single individual; it's about a complete and alarming disregard for the fundamental safety and well-being of our children and our dedicated school employees.

This clear abuse of power, persistent pattern of policy violations, and the total disregard for basic responsibility has shattered the trust we, as a community, place in our educational leaders. Pairing this with the fact that every administrator, teacher, staffer at all levels of employment are mandated reporters, and still were able to ignore and silence concerns and complaints; It's a crisis that strikes at the core of what our schools should be: safe spaces where justice, dignity, and respect are paramount for every single person.

Most of our newly elected board members may have inherited these challenges, but they all ran on a platform of transparency and accountability. We believe it's time for those promises to be fulfilled.

To begin to heal what has been broken, to protect our most vulnerable from further exploitation, and to enact accountability, we demand immediate and decisive action, including a complete change in leadership. Our students, our teachers, and our entire community deserve a school system where they feel safe, respected, and empowered. The future of every child, including yours and mine, and the very spirit of our Community depend on holding these so-called leaders and administrators accountable and rebuilding a foundation of trust, integrity, and genuine care.

Adding your name to this petition, signifies you are standing with the people of this community who will no longer be ignored, who refuse to be silent, and who demand genuine change. You are demanding accountability for past failures, asserting the fundamental right to a safe and thriving educational environment for every child, and calling for the urgent leadership change necessary to restore integrity and trust within the Sun Prairie School District. Your signature is a powerful statement for our children's future.

SPSD Petition Page