State College Area School District addresses allegations in assault, racist photo incident

Following an investigation into an assault and racist photo at State College Area High School, district superintendent Bob O’Donnell addressed allegations around the incident for the first time on Monday.

The Feb. 1 assault was tied to a photo containing racial and antisemitic imagery. The photo was taken in the fall but only circulated days prior to the assault, O’Donnell told the board of directors. The district’s investigation — based on witness interviews and reviewing videos from bystanders and surveillance videos — found no reports of racial intimidation this school year related to the two students. The students did not know each other, O’Donnell wrote in his superintendent’s update.

“As we continue addressing the repercussions of the Feb. 1 assault at State High, we are working with the families of both students in a restorative approach, while still holding them accountable for their actions,” he wrote, adding that the district is “distressed by the substantial amount of misinformation being conveyed to the community about the incident and State High.”

Since the assault, local groups including the NAACP and the 3/20 Coalition have started petitions to have Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna drop charges against the Black student involved in the assault. The NAACP has raised more than $33,000 for the student’s legal fees, and about 10 people voiced concerns about the assault and the district’s response during a Feb. 7 school board meeting.

The district is not involved in the criminal process, O’Donnell wrote in the update, and district officials previously released few details about the incident, citing privacy concerns. Cantorna has not confirmed any charges, as the district attorney’s office does not disclose information regarding juvenile investigations.

O’Donnell said several faculty members responded once the fight started and the entire altercation lasted only 20 seconds.

The update addressed reports of other racist photos circulating on social media.

“The district has a limited ability to respond to students making social media posts away from school,” O’Donnell wrote. “Outside of school, if a social media post threatens school safety or disrupts a normal school day, the student responsible may face consequences according to our student handbook, in addition to any legal repercussions.”

Monday night’s meeting also featured more public comment about the high-profile incident. Lorraine Jones, president of the State College chapter of the NAACP, said she rejected many of the statements made by O’Donnell.

“These things have been ongoing for years,” Jones said. “These kids have come to you over and over but they have been silenced, they have been ignored and you have minimized the violence that happens, the antisemitic signs and the N-word being said.”

On the Feb. 7 school board meeting, public comment brought out a concern that the district was previously flagged by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for over-identifying and punishing Black students in special education.

“We have taken significant steps and recently learned that we are no longer out of compliance for disproportionately suspending our Black students receiving special education services,” O’Donnell wrote. “For over-identification, we will continue to work to rectify this issue in order to become compliant.”

The district is providing optional counseling services through Seria Chatters, the district’s equity and inclusivity director, and is creating an equity action plan that involves updating the student handbook, hiring more diverse faculty and creating an online dashboard.

The district will also be partnering with Charles Phillips, a mediator from the Department of Justice, to create a program identifying conflicts within the school.

“We remain deeply troubled by the violence and racist and antisemitic photo, and want to reiterate that we abhor any racism, antisemitism or violence in our school community and strongly condemn such actions,” O’Donnell wrote.

Mental health and behavioral issues have been a major concern of the district this year, board president Amber Concepcion said during Monday’s meeting.

“It’s a big focus of our district to focus on the well-being of all the kids in our schools and support them to become the students we know they should be or are capable of being,” Concepcion said.

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 3:27 PM.