Wadena Co. Parents Demand Action After School Arrest
WADENA COUNTY (trfnews.i234.me) – Menahga school leaders faced tough questions Monday night after a district paraprofessional and assistant football coach was arrested earlier this month for failing to register as a predatory offender.
According to officials, Jeffery Newburey was arrested on September 9 after it was discovered that he was an inactive registered predatory offender. He had been employed in the district for months. Police learned of his status after he called to report alleged “illegal activities” at the school. An ID check revealed the inactive registration, linked to a case from his juvenile record.
During the September 22 school board meeting, parents raised concerns about communication and transparency, specifically regarding accountability. Parent Pamela Hodgen said Superintendent Jay Kjos “lacks accountability,” adding that families should not have had to wait 24 hours to be informed. “The board and superintendent need to take action to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she told trfnews.i234.me.
Superintendent Kjos acknowledged the issue but moved on quickly in the meeting. In a later statement, he called the case an example of a gap in Minnesota’s reporting and background check system. He said Menahga officials have alerted state legislators, the governor, and the education commissioner to push for stronger protections for students across Minnesota.
The Menahga School Board also approved a resolution through the Minnesota School Boards Association. The resolution calls for stronger state laws to ensure schools are not denied access to criminal background information. Delegates will present the resolution in December, and the MSBA’s government relations team will decide how to advance it to the legislature.
For more information on school safety laws and background checks, visit the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Legislature.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
