Coalition demands principal's ousting

KANSAS — A local advocacy group announced a protest rally for next month as tensions continue to mount over the immediate reinstatement of Lakota Elementary School Principal Dana Ward. The Lakota Students' Civil Rights Coalition is calling for a demonstration at 5 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the Lakota Local Schools campus, 5200 County Road 13, Kansas. The rally is timed to occur just before the Board of Education's regular meeting and aims to demand the termination of Ward, superintendent Dr. Chad Coffman and athletic director Kevin Yeckley. Reinstatement after trial Ward returned to her administrative duties on Thursday one day after a jury found her not guilty of criminal assault. The charges followed a May 2025 incident in which security footage appeared to show Ward striking a 5-year-old student in the face. While the court acquitted Ward of the criminal charges, the coalition argues the district has a professional and contractual obligation to remove her from her position of authority over students. "There is no way Principal Ward's contract prevents Lakota leadership from firing her unless she gets criminally convicted," coalition member Tabitha Woodruff stated in a recent press release. "She failed to live up to the expectations of her job, period, and she needs to go." The parents of the student involved, Chris and Cassie Pitts, released a statement saying the decision has "shaken our faith in the justice system and the school system," and questioned how their family is expected to recover from the trauma while the administrator remains in her role. Financial and enrollment concerns In a statement released Wednesday, the coalition alleged the district is facing a "budgetary crisis" linked to leadership decisions. Coalition member Kelly Stevens claimed that "hundreds" of parents have withdrawn their children from the district due to safety concerns and a lack of administrative transparency. The group further suggested the district faces "grave financial risk from federal lawsuits" by continuing to employ staff with documented histories of investigations. This includes a 2013 evaluation from Ward's previous tenure at Napoleon Area City Schools, which documented her "lifting and pulling" a student, an incident that reportedly left red marks. Ongoing inquiry This remains a developing story. Both the Lakota Students' Civil Rights Coalition and the Lakota Local School District were contacted for further comment regarding the specific allegations of contractual violations and enrollment declines. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.