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In New Rochelle, upwards of 1,000 students walked out on Monday, March 21 in response to a social media post made last week from a student who alleged sexual assault four years ago at an off-campus location.
New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said that the allegation led to a violent physical confrontation between two other students on-campus the day after the social media message was posted.
In a video that went viral of the fight, a male student can be seen kicking and hitting another in retaliation for an alleged sexual assault involving a girl at the school, which remains under investigation.
During the walkout, between 800 and 1,000 students marched around the soccer field on campus, many chanting and holding signs stating that “No means no,” or other supportive messages.
“Merely asking us not to take actions into our own hands when they have allowed a rapist to walk into our school as if nothing happened,” a student organizer stated. “There are about (six) confirmed victims with one of them being about 12 years old with the abuser being 17.
“The infuriating thought that that 12-year-old girl could have been my 12-year-old sibling us enough to encourage me to ask you to give us a glance from our side,” the student continued. “(Other) news outlets have been portraying this sick individual as some innocent little boy. Don't let the victims voices go unheard.”
The entire incident was not peaceful, however, according to Raymond, who cited multiple other students who “took advantage of the time to engage in multiple altercations that were quickly handled by our security staff.”
“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Some of these incidents were recorded by students on their phones,” he said. “Those who engaged in the altercations will be subject to disciplinary action, consistent with our school code of conduct.”
The walkout and subsequent altercations led to the New Rochelle Police Department being called to assist in securing the perimeter of the school to snare the students’ safety.
“Today’s events were extremely disappointing,” Raymond said. “There were students who were interested in legitimately expressing their voices and others who took advantage of the moment.
“It is unfortunate that the negative events detracted from the message the students who were protesting were trying to share,” he continued. “We take responsibility for what should have been a proud moment to honor student voices and build agency, meaning, and purpose.”
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