"Updated District Response to YouTube Video
The Greece Cenral School District has been touched by the outpouring
of support for Karen and we share the country's outrage over the
behavior displayed on the videos. We are deeply sorry that Karen was
subjected to that kind of treatment.
Based on our
internal investigation, and the interviews conducted by members of the
Greece Police Department, we have identified four Athena Middle School
students as participants in the incident. Certainly the behavior of the
students on the video is a clear violation of our district's Code of
Conduct and will not be tolerated. Disciplinary action to the fullest
extent appropriate under New York Education Law will be taken against
all involved. However, as we stated yesterday, it is not appropriate for
the district to discuss the specific disciplinary consequences that
will result for any individual student.
I need to stress that we
have a specific process that we must follow before imposing discipline
on students. Discipline for public school students in New York State is
handled under specific procedures set forth in the New York Education
law. In the event that a district is seeking a suspension of more than
five days, the district must prove the student's violation of its Code
of Conduct in a due process hearing before a hearing officer. If the
student is found guilty, the hearing officer makes a recommendation for
an appropriate period of suspension to the superintendent of schools.
Each case is determined based upon the actions engaged in by the student
as well as consideration of a student's prior disciplinary record.
As
is shown by this unfortunate incident, bullying is not a new issue to
those who work in schools. The Greece Central School District has a
strong bullying prevention model that includes a district response team,
training programs for staff and students including the Olweus Bullying
Program, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and a Bullying
Reporting Process. In March, we also hired a special counselor to train
all staff in bullying prevention models. In fact, she is holding a
previously scheduled training for administrators as we speak.
The
behaviors displayed on this video are not representative of all Greece
Central students and this is certainly not what we would like our
students to be known for. We have worked very hard to educate students
on the damaging impact of bullying and will continue to do so.
We
have received thousands of phone calls and emails from people across
the country wanting to convey their thoughts. People are outraged by
what has happened and they feel the students should be punished. While
we agree that discipline is warranted, we cannot condone the kind of
vigilante justice some people are calling for. This is just another form
of bullying and cannot be tolerated.
We all need to take a step
back and look at how we treat each other. It is our job as educators
and parents to teach children and lead by example. We encourage parents
to use this as a springboard to begin a dialogue with their children
about bullying, respect and consequences. As a school community, we will
continue to take the lead in bullying education and we encourage all
students and employees subjected to bullying and harassment to report it
as soon as it occurs and to take a stand if they are witness to
bullying in their lives."