Hundreds of students walk out of New Rochelle High School to protest alleged sexual assault
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Students at the largest high school in Westchester County staged a walkout Monday afternoon to show support for a classmate and raise concerns about sexual violence.
CBS2's Tony Aiello spoke with students and the superintendent at New Rochelle High School.
Hundreds of students left the building at noon to gather on a practice field outside the high school. They were taking a stand in support of a classmate who may have been sexually assaulted off campus.
Twelfth grader Jordan held a "No Means No" sign and said the school must so more to support those who come forward to report sexual violence.
"They were mocked. They heard people mocking them behind their back. The school doesn't care," Jordan said.
"That's what today was about. Giving students space and voice to be able to express their opinions and that's really important," Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said.
Raymond said an incident on school property last week fostered online rumors and raised concerns. Smartphone video shows a male student kicking and hitting another in retaliation for an alleged sex assault on a female student.
Police told CBS2 they never received a complaint. The superintended said it allegedly happened off campus more than a year ago.
"I can't speak to the past, Tony, because I'm new here. But I can tell you under my team and my administration we take this seriously," Raymond told CBS2. "It manifests in that we do thorough investigations, we refer incidents to law enforcement, we get to the bottom of issues."
A student who joined the walkout told CBS2, given social media rumors, she's not certain about what's true, but still wanted to take a stand.
"I just walked out because I felt like their voices needed to be heard because sexual assault is not like a thing to play with," Kayla Anderson, a 12th grader, said.
The superintendent said the district is working to improve trust, foster dialogue and address the students' concerns.
New Rochelle Police said the walkout ended around 12:30 p.m. and a few scuffles broke out. One male student was charged with misdemeanor assault.
