Parents, students rally after Bellefonte senior is expelled weeks before graduation
Dismayed parents and students are rallying to support a Bellefonte Area High School senior who was expelled less than three weeks before graduation after he voluntarily disclosed possession of a utility knife during a school-sponsored event.
The Bellefonte Area school board approved the expulsion at its meeting Tuesday with little insight into its rationale. Board President Jon Guizar told the Centre Daily Times on Friday that the nine-member board’s unanimous vote came after it was presented with “the facts. All the facts.”
But some have questioned if the punishment was too heavy-handed, while students may be left to wonder if they can safely speak up when they witness misconduct or behavior they believe is wrong. As of Friday afternoon, more than 2,100 people signed an online petition in support of the student.
“So many kids feel like they can’t trust the school because this right here is proving the point,” fellow senior Keira Clarkson told the CDT. “He did the right thing and he got in trouble for it. That’s why so many kids feel like they can’t talk to a trusted adult nowadays.
“I feel like if this is seen more the school will maybe be more lenient with things and open their eyes a little bit and be like ‘Yeah, we were wrong and our students can’t trust us.’ ”
Dozens of high school students walked May 1 to the Centre County Courthouse for Law Day, an annual event that gives them an opportunity to learn more about the judicial system.
Centre County Sheriff Bryan Sampsel told the CDT on Friday that the student told a deputy he forgot he had a small knife in his pocket. The deputy then put the knife aside and planned to give it back to the student once he left the courthouse.
It’s not unusual for people to turn over weapons as they enter the courthouse. Sampsel estimated it happens at least once a day and said there are no questions asked if someone voluntarily discloses the weapon before they pass through a metal detector.
It only becomes an issue if someone is found with the weapon inside the courthouse.
“We don’t think anything of it,” Sampsel said. “... This is nothing out of the ordinary for us.”
He said the district was made aware of what happened the same day. In a notification sent to parents and guardians, the district said the knife was never used to harm or threaten anyone and did not present an active threat.
The policy cited by the board in reaching its decision — which was adopted in 2022 and last revised in April — appears to require mandatory expulsion for at least a year of any student who violates the weapons policy. Modifications can be recommended by the superintendent.
It’s unclear what, if any, modifications Superintendent Roy Rakszawski recommended. In an email sent Friday to the CDT, he said he is unable to comment on any individual student matter.
Rakszawski did not directly answer whether he supported the school board’s decision.
“The Administration and Board of Directors carefully considers all the facts in each case to ensure decisions are fair and consistent with the policy and other similar decisions,” Rakszawski wrote in a statement. “The District does not have or apply a ‘zero tolerance’ policy or approach to these matters.”
Four people spoke Tuesday on the student’s behalf, including Joshua Hoagland, a family member who is the vice president of the Southern Columbia Area school board in Columbia County.
Hoagland said the student had no prior disciplinary record. He unsuccessfully urged the school board to reconsider what he described as a “wrongheaded approach.”
“By punishing students who voluntarily turn in a knife or weapon without being caught, you are encouraging all students to act with deceit instead of honesty,” Hoagland said. “From now on, when one student sees another with a pocket knife or any other weapon, their first thought may not be ‘I need to tell a teacher,’ which is the correct thought. Instead, they may now begin to reason whether their friend is a threat.
“... This is, in fact, what we are trying to eliminate in safety and security policies. We don’t want students or untrained adults conducting their own ad hoc threat assessments.”
Guizar was the only member who spoke before the vote was taken. He said an adjudication hearing took place Tuesday.
“I appreciate that the district and our solicitor that is in charge of those types of hearings exercised discretion,” Guizar said. “I feel common sense in their recommendation. Their recommendation is also consistent with former practice.”
Unable to discuss specifics, Guizar told the CDT on Friday there is “misleading and incomplete information being pushed in the community.”
“I know that’s not what anyone wants to hear and we recognize the impacts to those involved and we do hear our friends, neighbors, and parents in the community but can only say that their judgements (sic) on the district are based on inaccurate and incomplete information,” Guizar wrote.
Several events to celebrate seniors are scheduled through the end of the month, including the senior ball Saturday and a graduation ceremony set for May 30
The online petition is pushing for the student to be able to receive his diploma alongside his classmates, but it’s unclear if that will happen. Rakszawski did not directly answer that question from the CDT.
Clarkson, the senior, said recent decisions from the school board and district’s administration have had a chilling effect. She said she’s concerned she may get in more trouble for reporting wrongdoing than the person responsible for it.
Whether that changes remains to be seen, though an answer should come within as little as two weeks.
“You have one time in your life that you can walk across the stage for graduation, other than if you go to college, and he doesn’t get to do that,” Clarkson said. “It’s very unfortunate.”
