Kevin Bartol apologized to staff at the Baraboo School district, but even in his moment of contrition he still did not take responsibility for the ugliness and wrongness of his statements toward families and children with special needs. Here is his apology with some additonal news coverage from the school district administration:
"It was my attempt to get clarification of some wordage in one of the school policies. I should have chosen my words more carefully to adequately convey my true attempt. I inadvertently created a very ugly situation. For this, and for the inconvenience, I am truly sorry. My intent was to clarify and not to attack the hard work and wonderful actions of our special education department. I am 100 percent behind them. I ask that the good people in the Baraboo School District accept my apology." he said in a statement to the News Republic.
Earlier in the day, School Board leaders and District Administrator Lance Alwin said they gave Bartol two days (from Tuesday) to apologize for remarks they termed insensitive and inappropriate, but he did not. Alwin said he advised Bartol to include an apology in a press release the district issued Thursday, but Bartol declined.
"I can’t put words of apology in his mouth," Alwin said."
I still prefer Liz Ditz’s version of an apology better.