TOWN OF WARSAW, N.Y. (WKBW) — Residents in the Town of Warsaw are demanding answers following an alleged incident involving members of the Warsaw Central School District basketball teams that many are calling sexual assault.
The school district stated that it recently became aware of an incident involving middle and high school students on the boys' basketball team. The district has requested "outside counsel to investigate the reports", releasing this statement on Friday:
Warsaw Families:
The District recently received reports concerning a matter involving a number of students in the Middle/High School. The District takes any allegations involving student safety and security seriously and immediately requested outside counsel to investigate these reports. As this is an ongoing matter involving students, the District cannot comment further at this time. However, the District is moving swiftly with the investigation and will take any appropriate action after its conclusion.
- Warsaw Central School District
The Warsaw Central School District released this statement on Friday, Feb. 5.
At Tuesday night's Warsaw Central School District Board of Education meeting, parents and former students came to express their concerns about the incident. However, they learned the deadline to sign up to speak at the meeting was the previous Thursday, so no one was able to address the board.
"I was a little disappointed in that because I would have thought at least a teacher, principal, someone would have spoken up about the situation to let all the concerned parents out here know that something is being done and we don't need to worry," Deanna Johnson Myers said.
Myers is a 2022 graduate of Warsaw High School who told me she knows the young boy who was allegedly victimized.
"It was minimized. It was called hazing, and that's not what hazing is. It was sexual assault, period point blank, and it needs to be addressed as that. I understand it was minors, but that doesn't make it any less," Myers said.
The board meeting went into executive session 30 minutes after it started.
Myers believes the students involved should face serious consequences.
"It's unfair. I think they should get some type of punishment, whether that be no playing basketball. I don't know, but it needs, it needs to be effective so that we know that they understand that this can't happen and it's not going be tolerated," Myers said.
When asked what she hopes the school district does to hold the boys accountable, Myers said she wants meaningful action.
"I think there should be something done. I don't think it should be taken lightly at all because a little slap on the wrist is not what we're looking for. A little suspension is not what we're looking for. I think because the child it happened to, his life has changed in ways that many of us can't even understand right now," Myers said.
The next school board meeting is February 24. Parents told me they will be at that meeting.
