The Lake George, Warrensburg and Bolton school districts have canceled the districts’ joint football season following the arrest and charging of two football team members. Now, school officials are taking action to implement better policies for reporting bullying and inappropriate behavior.
Even though the arrests were made this past week, the initial incident took place in August. The football team was traveling from an event in Syracuse, N.Y., when the alleged bullying and sexual misconduct took place on the team bus.
According to News Channel 13, the two students in question, “have been charged with public lewdness and endangering the welfare of a child in the incident.” They were both 17 when the incident took place. Police told ABC News 10 specifically that the students, “engaged in a lewd act against a juvenile.” Beyond the student’s criminal convictions, the school districts also said, “disciplinary action will be taken according to each district’s code of conduct and athletic code of conduct.”
The Lake George Central School District is adding a tip line for students to anonymously report inappropriate behavior or bullying. All three school districts have said there will be additional coach and student-athlete meetings before the spring sports season to review appropriate behavior and bullying.
In a statement the districts said, “We encourage any student struggling with their emotions, or uncertain how to deal with this difficult situation to please reach out or stop by the counseling office, regardless of their involvement in football. We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action to maintain a safe learning environment for all our students. If we are able to share more information, we will reach out directly through our school messaging systems and update our websites.”
The police have confirmed that there will not be any further arrests in connection with this incident.
