The Bridgeport Police Department is investigating a number of incidents of hazing at a highschool. According to the police, older boys at the football group are accused of flattening the pants of more youthful avid gamers and recording movies of the incident. The hazing happened on a college bus, within the locker room, and all through an out-of-town match.
Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford expressed his disappointment over the incident. He mentioned, (*5*)
The police have been notified of the incident on March sixth when a personnel member of the Bridgeport Independent School District reported a bus incident that can have concerned hazing. They introduced a legal investigation after it used to be showed that hazing used to be suspected.
The police interviewed a number of other people suffering from the incident, together with the sufferers, witnesses, and conceivable suspects. It used to be made up our minds that all through the 2022-2023 football season, upperclassmen at the boys football group “de-pantsed” underclassmen as section of a hazing initiation.
The sufferers, some of whom have been as younger as 14 years previous, have been held down via a couple of topics who got rid of their clothes, together with their pants and undies. In an unclothed state, the sufferers have been filmed and made to mention words similar to “I’m your b—-.”
The police imagine that this kind of hazing happened a couple of occasions in a college locker room, a college bus, and a lodge room all through an out-of-town match. During the lodge room incident, one of the sufferers who used to be being attacked screamed and a pillow used to be positioned over their face, inflicting them to just about lose awareness. In a separate incident, a sufferer used to be grabbed from at the back of as one of the upperclassmen put their arm round their neck whilst anyone else took off their pants and undies.
While the investigation is ongoing, the Bridgeport Police Chief mentioned, “the wheels of justice are moving forward…we are still waiting on evidence to be returned to us, electronic evidence to be specific.” NBC 5 reported that six other people were arrested and charged with “personal hazing,” which is a misdemeanor.
The Bridgeport ISD Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis has promised to collaborate and cooperate with the police division and take suitable steps according to the Student Code of Conduct and district coverage. However, she believes that the conduct reported does no longer align with the district’s core values and dedication to offering a protected and being concerned finding out surroundings for all scholars.
Parent Reaction
One mom, Kelley Rogers, mentioned, “I wasn’t surprised, and I was sort of angry because we’ve reported bullying over the years living here and nothing comes of it.” She added that her home is on the market as a result of bullying incidents have happened every yr since they moved to the world. Rogers raised her son to act and expects the college to self-discipline kids after they misbehave.
Another father or mother, Jessie Reasoar, mentioned, “When I heard about it I was disgusted and just felt like they don’t address issues when they come up in the school system.” She known as for the district to take bullying and harassment severely when folks file it and make sure the protection of all scholars.
