State College police are investigating after one student allegedly assaulted another on Tuesday morning at State College Area High School in an incident school officials say was connected to a photo containing racist language and hate symbols.
The assault occurred inside the building before the start of the regular school day, Principal Laura Tobias wrote in an email to parents on Tuesday afternoon.
In a follow-up message on Wednesday, SCASD Superintendent Bob O’Donnell and Assistant Superintendent Curtis Johnson wrote that the assault, which was captured on video, “is more complex,” than the district was first aware.
“What we can tell you is that we are dealing with two separate offenses that are connected, both of which have been elevated because of their severity as well as a video and a photo circulating on social media,” they wrote
Prior to the alleged assault, a student photo taken at the high school containing “racist language and hate symbols” was being shared, according to O’Donnell and Johnson.
“First and foremost, under no circumstances will we tolerate violence or racism in our schools,” O’Donnell and Johnson wrote. “Any individuals committing such acts will be held accountable.”
School resource officer John Aston was notified of the assault and initiated the police investigation. Lt. Greg Brauser said the State College Police Department is conducting an investigation but could not provide further details.
“We are investigating it but since it is a juvenile matter we do not have releasable information,” Brauser wrote in an email.
High school administrators are also conducting their own separate investigation while cooperating with police
Administrators are handling the incidents, “according to our high school student handbook,” Tobias wrote. O’Donnell and Johnson noted that both assault and harassment of any kind, including ethnic intimidation, call for a minimum of five days of out-of-school suspension.
Depending on the severity, additional discipline can be imposed, including expulsion.
Administrators also learned on Wednesday that some students “had advance knowledge of an impending conflict,” but did not inform the district.
“Had a faculty member or principal known beforehand, we would have immediately involved the students and their families to work through the issues,” O’Donnell and Johnson wrote, urging students to report such situations to an adult or use the Safe2Say reporting tool.
Tobias’s email asked students who have information about the assault to contact one of the school’s principals.
