LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Central High School raised its threat level Wednesday afternoon after school officials said a student sit-in turned into a protest, with students refusing to return to their classrooms.
"A group of students staged a sit in at Central High School this morning," the school said in a statement to parents Wednesday morning. "After the administration gave them a safe space to air their concerns, some students refused to return to class. Our security level has been raised and students who refused to return to class were moved to the gym. We will have more information soon."
Students and parents said they are protesting what they claimed was a lack of action by administrators after allegations of a student committing sexual assault against other students went unaddressed.
"No administrators are trying to talk, and this is what we want," said Eninaja Allen, a junior at Central. "We want to talk. We want you all to speak on it."
"Something actually needs to be done about this," added Taniyiah Jones, another junior.
Jefferson County Public Schools said some students were given the chance to be heard in the gym.
"That was very orderly," JCPS spokesman Mark Hebert said. "Everything went as planned. And then the principal said, 'Time to go back to class. Time to head back to class.'"
At that point, Hebert said some of the students refused to comply.
"There were a number of students who did not go back to their classrooms, and so they were very disruptive," Hebert said. "They were running through the hallways, so they were taken into the gymnasium, and that's where we are now."
Eventually, parents showed up at the school wanting to pick up their students early, and Hebert said some of them became "unruly." That's when the Louisville Metro Police Department was called.
"From my understanding, that is what the parents were upset about is they came early and were trying to get their students out, but we're in an updated security level — a higher security level — and we couldn't just release the students," Hebert said. "So parents became upset that their students were not being released immediately, and that’s what caused the problems outside the school with the parents is my understanding."
Students involved in that protest said they continued because they felt they still weren't being listened to by staff.
"This could've all been prevented if, in that meeting, when (the principal) let all the girls say what happened to them and tell their story, there was nothing after it. Nothing," Allen said. "There should've been some 'We're going to take care of it. We're going to help you.'... There needs to be more than a 'We hear you.'"
Parents coming to pick up their children shared their concerns with WDRB News.
"It's very concerning," said Tocheyona Jones, Jones's mom. "You expect for your child to come to school and be safe, but they're not safe here at all."
"I am concerned for some of the other girls and also the girls that spoke out," said Sydney Jenkins, the mother of a Central student. "I just feel as if they need to be heard and that JCPS needs to get on top of this and do something about this situation so our young girls can feel safe going to school."
Since then, Hebert said the school had designated a specific door where parents could pick up their children and that "it seems to be going fairly well, actually."
Hebert said no one was injured, and no arrests were made, but one student was cited for assaulting a staff member and released to a parent. He added that under JCPS policy, the students who refused to return to class would normally be disciplined according to the JCPS Student Handbook. The level of discipline will be determined by the principal and school staff, he said.
Hebert declined to specify the allegations that prompted the protest but said they involved a similar allegation against someone in the past.
"It's our understanding that there were some allegations made three years ago," he said. "Those allegations were investigated and taken care of at the time. There were some new allegations similar to the ones that were made three years ago, made over the weekend on social media. Students raised those concerns, the administration was aware of them, they had begun investigating, and that’s where we are at this point."
Hebert later clarified that the situation from three years ago involved a single allegation and added these may be similar allegations involving a similar person.
The school planned to dismiss students in a staggered fashion Wednesday afternoon, "so it won't be everybody coming out at the same time."
He added that the investigation is ongoing and he hoped the students would return to school tomorrow with business as usual.
Many students still feel concerned.
“I wanted a change," Allen said. "You're trying to silence us.”
"I'm very frustrated because ... I thought they would listen to us and then act effectively," Jones added.
On Wednesday afternoon, the principal released a letter to student families. The text of that letter is below:
March 9, 2022
Yellowjacket family,
Today, our students participated in a “sit-in” in response to a social media concern. As these concerns have been raised, our school administration has been working with students and families. Today, our administrative team worked with students to provide a safe space in the auditorium for them to voice their concerns and to hear from Dr. Compton. When students were dismissed to return to 2nd period, some students chose not to return to class. As a result, we increased our security level and called for district security. The students who did not return to class chose to go to the large gym.
Our administrative team is committed to supporting our students both academically and emotionally. We are working diligently with Mrs. Jones, our mental health counselor, and our counseling team to create additional "safe spaces" for students to be heard and report concerns. I welcome any recommendations and suggestions you have to ensure all students feel heard. Our assistant principals are committed to addressing any confirmed disciplinary issues.
As you are aware, the JCPS Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook governs how we handle student discipline and confidential matters. Unfortunately, we are unable to tell families how a situation is handled; we can only confirm that a situation was addressed. We are reviewing today’s disturbance and will work with students and families to address students’ actions.
Student safety and well-being is of utmost importance to me. If you and/or your child wish to speak to me further, please contact Mrs. Thomas, our school secretary, and she will arrange a time for us to speak.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tamela Compton
Principal, Central High School
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