TOWN OF WARSAW, N.Y. (WKBW) — Residents in the Town of Warsaw are demanding answers following reports of an alleged incident involving "a number of students" in the Warsaw Central School District's middle and high schools.
The district released the following statement on social media on February 5 that it recently became aware of an incident involving middle and high school students and requested outside counsel to investigate the reports.
You can read the full statement below:
"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.
Sincerely,
Warsaw Central School District"
At Tuesday night's Warsaw Central School District Board of Education meeting, parents and former students showed up 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.
WATCH: Warsaw School District investigating reports of alleged incident involving middle and high school students
"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 one of the students 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.
Myers believes the students involved should face serious consequences.
"It's unfair," Myers said. "I think they should get some type of punishment, whether that be no playing basketball. I don't know, but it needs to be effective so that we know that they understand that this can't happen and it's not going be tolerated."
"A little suspension is not what we're looking for," Myers said. "Because the child it happened to, his life has changed in ways that many of us can't even understand right now."
The next school board meeting is on February 24. Parents told me they will be at that meeting.
