Officials are looking into alleged incidents of “hazing, bullying, intimidation, and harassment” that happened last Thursday, Oct. 16, at Ridgefield High School.
Principal Stacey Gross sent a letter home to parents Friday afternoon describing “a number of incidents of hazing, bullying and intimidation” that involved both athletes and non-athletes.
“This type of behavior casts a dark shadow over our entire school community,” Dr. Gross said in the letter. “I am disappointed that in spite of the efforts of everyone — teachers, coaches and administrators — some students chose to ignore our directives and placed themselves and others in jeopardy of injury and exposed their fellow students to ridicule and humiliation.”
Some sources told The Press they thought students had been suspended, but no one has been expelled yet, according to Board of Education Chairman Austin Drukker. He said that the board has been “kept in the dark” while the high school continues its investigation.
Dr. Gross added Monday that the school wouldn’t be sharing any aspect of its investigation and possible consequences, per educational law.
Multiple sources have said indicated the hazing involved students being made to drink alcohol.
“Unless there’s an expulsion we don’t hear about it — there’s no board involvement without an expulsion,” Mr. Drukker said.
He added that the allegations were “limited to a few amount of people.”
“It’s not a rampant or widespread thing,” Mr. Drukker explained. “But it’s still very frustrating because I know for a fact that they do seminars for the kids about bullying and hazing — the captains get trained for it, everybody gets trained for it…
“But just like in society, we have people going off and doing whatever they want without realizing that it hurts everybody else that’s involved.”
Mr. Drukker said that the board would have an executive hearing before expelling any student from the district.
“We don’t get involved unless it’s an expulsion and that hasn’t come to my attention,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean there won’t be one — right now I just don’t know.”
In her letter home, Dr. Gross said that “all those who are found to have participated in these behaviors will receive serious consequences.”
“This is a real blip in who we are and we have dealt with things strongly and swiftly and clearly,” Gross said.
Multiple sources told The Press that they’d heard the hazing involved forced alcohol consumption Thursday during school hours.
Those sources indicated that at least four students — male and female — were subjected to a senior hazing tradition that happens before school during homecoming week and that none of the victims were subjected to physical violence.
Dr. Gross and other school officials considered canceling the game as well as the school’s pep rally last Friday, Dr. Gross said in the letter to parents, but ultimately decided against it.
“We want to celebrate students who made good decisions, as well as those who have worked diligently to make the pep rally a success,” she wrote.
“It is my hope that this will be [the] last time such incidents occur at Ridgefield High School and that you will join with me in making the message clear that there are no second-class citizens at Ridgefield High School and that we stand together united in our commitment to honor each other rather than to diminish anyone,” she wrote.
Wednesday night, Oct. 15, into Thursday was said to be the annual “haze night” among high school students, which typically involves pranks such as students being forced to wear embarrassing clothing and dyed hair to school.
Police Capt. Jeff Kreitz confirmed Monday that the police are also investigating the hazing incidents, but declined to provide any details about they said is an ongoing investigation.