Thinkery responds to safety, health concerns following staff walkout

Yahoo

10-02-2025

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin nonprofit children's museum Thinkery responded to circulating allegations against museum staff and facilities, following a demonstration held by some floor team members Friday.
Thinkery leadership said seven staff members demonstrated outside the museum on Friday, saying in a statement officials 'fully support our employees' right to voice their concerns and advocate for themselves.' A flyer posted on social media alleged demonstrators were raising awareness about 'ongoing safety issues' at the facility and called on museum leadership to attend a national diversity, equity and inclusion training week to best service staff. The flyer also alleged several staff were terminated for speaking out on alleged issues at Thinkery.
KXAN requested access to a Facebook group and reached out to a blogger sharing allegations related to the demonstration. We will update this story if we receive responses from either of those parties.
In an interview with KXAN Monday, Thinkery CEO Andy Bell said the company hosted open dialogue sessions with staff over the weekend. On Sunday, Bell joined other leadership in a four-hour, in-person conversation with staff to clarify information shared online and to take in feedback on how to improve organization operations.
With safety concerns flagged, Bell did note an indoor water feature installed a decade ago does sometimes cause mildew and leads to deep cleanings. In the 10 years the water feature has been operating, Bell said Thinkery has never had a case of black mold.
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In the Thinkery's statement, officials said they've had their building fully inspected recently and the facility is in 'full compliance with all health and safety regulations through Texas Health and Human Services.' Leadership added cleaning teams visit the museum during and after the museum's operating hours to clean the restrooms and common areas, with deep cleanings scheduled while the museum is closed.
'As we've had more visitors, towards the end of last year we actually added additional cleaning during the day when we know there's going to be more traffic,' Bell said. 'So some of our visitors who maybe haven't been to the museum in a little while, maybe haven't benefited from some additional cleaning, but this is an area that is continuously being monitored.'
Some allegations made online claimed a lack of safety protocols, including no active shooter or missing children plans implemented at Thinkery. Bell denounced those, saying every staff member undergoes active shooter and missing child training, known as Code Adam.
'I think it's really important for our community to know that when you visit Thinkery, that you are in safe hands, and that we're doing everything that we possibly can to ensure the safety of our business,' he said.
The flyer also outlined staff's demands for a minimum living wage of $22 an hour at the museum. In the museum's statement, Thinkery officials said they are offering forums for listening sessions between floor staff, managers and leadership and will be 'implementing changes based on feedback we receive.'
Regarding alleged terminations from Thinkery, Bell said the organization only takes action when an employee violates the museum's policy and code of conduct. When someone is terminated, Thinkery doesn't share details about the violation that happened, Bell said.
'We take our staffing and staff decisions extremely seriously, and every that we've had to make has been tied to our policy and to our performance,' he added.
Bell added the organization is continually taking in staff feedback and making changes based on those comments, and is focused on providing a 'safe and joyful experience for all of our visitors.'
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