Hazing Incident @ High School

Prevention (0.00 / 0)

I feel like a lot has been done in terms of prevention, my kids have participated in the anti-bullying curriculum all the way from elementary school through high school and we have seen a lot of action in terms of establishing safe environments and implementing consequences when incidents do occur.  

In the most recent incident, all of the students received direct instruction on what constitutes hazing and signed a behavioral contract at the start of the season. Coaches all are expected to reinforce hazing and bullying policies as well as provide appropriate supervision. In this case, my impression is that boys were in a locker/shower area with coaches nearby (but not with direct "eyes on" supervision) ... a situation that happens in virtually every high school athletic program in the country. However, going forward, Dedham has now adopted a policy that a coach must be present and visible in these areas at all times (which I feel is excessive, but when something like this happens it's probably a reasonable expectation for at least the time being).

Given what I know about the incident (which is limited to what was in the papers, on blogs, on twitter, and some second-hand conversations), it's very difficult to imagine what preventative measures could have been taken to ensure that the incident would not have occurred. It's easy to say in hindsight that the locker room should always have eyes-on supervision, but that is highly irregular and there were no prior incidents or obvious risk factors that would provoke such a policy.  

I'm not sure what other measures you would like to see, do you have any suggestions? To me, it's an unfortunate incident that the administration (and police) dealt with swiftly and appropriately.  I don't feel like it's indicative of a wider problem at the High School that requires school-wide programming (it's an isolated occurrence, and this type of sexualized exploitation is not condoned by just about anyone or ingrained into the school culture from what I can tell). I feel like they should continue down the path they've chosen, and I feel that my kids (who are both at the high school and both athletes) are safe and supported by their teachers, coaches and their peers.

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by: stebivule @ Mon Oct 29, 2012 at 01:09:06 AM UTC

Direct "eyes on" supervision (0.00 / 0)

"...Dedham has now adopted a policy that a coach must be present and visible in these areas at all times (which I feel is excessive, but when something like this happens it's probably a reasonable expectation for at least the time being)."
s
This is NOT unreasonable or excessive.  Previous DHS couches (especially football) use to always be in the locker room.  Grab-ass in a football locker room is nothing new.  It is for this reason a couch should be required to monitory the locker room and showers.

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by: dedham1636 @ Mon Oct 29, 2012 at 21:29:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Um, yeah (0.00 / 0)

I'm sure they were in the locker rooms 100% of the time, 100% vigilant. After they got done walking to practice through snow, uphill both ways.

If you want to look for fault with the coaches, I'm sure you'll find it and nothing anyone says will move your opinion. Enjoy being angry, it's America.

 

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by: stebivule @ Mon Oct 29, 2012 at 22:55:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Very Defensive (0.00 / 1)

You're very defensive.  Its not about being angry, its about making sure the administration is taking steps to ensure this does not happen again by holding all parties accountable, including the couches and AD.  Again, I'm hearing this was NOT an isolated incident.  I think if it were one of your kids in the locker room who was raped (an its my understanding this is what happened) you'd be singing a very different tune.

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by: dedham1636 @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 10:08:19 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Whoah (0.00 / 0)

Before passions get too inflamed here, let's all take  a step back and a deep breath.  What happened there was wrong and was of a sexual nature.  It was not rape, however.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

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by: Brian @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 11:54:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Dig a little deeper (0.00 / 1)

Use your investigative skills and dig a little deeper.  I think you'll be surprised at what you find.

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by: dedham1636 @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 12:03:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Dedham1636 (0.00 / 0)

You seem to think you know the whole truth, if you do, let's hear your version.  As a parent of a FB Player, I can tell you this was an isolated event with only a few individuals.  This was NOT a team sponsored event, the majority of the Varsity kids were already home.  Having spoken with some of the freshmen parents, some of the kids thought is started as a joke that went in a bad direction because of one individual.  

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by: JM @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 12:28:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No, don't (0.00 / 1)

Please keep in mind that these are still kids we are talking about here.  Kids that made some stupid decisons, but kids nonetheless.  I know some of the families involved, and they are good people.

This is not going to become a forum for conjectures and rumors.  I've heard some of them, probably along the lines of what Dedham1636 has heard, and if they were true I would also classify it as rape.  They are not.  

So, please, don't tell us what you've heard.  If you want to discuss the larger school culture in which this incident took place, or what steps are being taken to prevent it from happening again, or anything along those lines, that's a discussion worth having.  Spreading rumors is not.

myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

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by: Brian @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 16:56:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Responsible Post / Definition of Rape (0.00 / 0)

First... Brian - to put you at ease, I would not post anything here that would put these kids at risk.  I won't elaborate on what I've been told or who provided the information.

Second...  I won't post anything more on this topic other than the following and then you can all debate about it...

Rape is also a legal term that is defined in Massachusetts by three elements:

•Penetration of ANY orifice by ANY object,
•Force or threat of force, or
•Sexual contact against the will of the victim.

I ask all that read this.... Which one of these 3 elements did NOT occur?  Again, its my understanding that all 3 elements occured.

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by: dedham1636 @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 23:01:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are the police involved? (0.00 / 0)

Hazing or not, assault is illegal.  A sexual assault, especially one with with a single victim against multiple perpetrators, should be addressed in the legal system.

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by: plums @ Mon Oct 29, 2012 at 13:23:37 PM UTC

Yes (0.00 / 0)

Yes, the police are involved and have been since Day One.

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by: stebivule @ Mon Oct 29, 2012 at 18:20:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Schools response? (0.00 / 0)

I am probably the only person who has not been following this....
Someone said there has been a change in policy mandating that coaches be present at all times within sight but can anyone tell me...in general terms...what, if any, the response from the athletic department and the school has been? Were the kids involved suspended from school? Suspended from the team? Did the any kids not directly involved but who witnessed this(if any) suffer any consequences?

Basically is there a message being sent that participating in any hazing - whether actively or passively - will not be tolerated? Or is everyone waiting for the legal system to deal with the issue?

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by: dj @ Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 08:21:29 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

School (0.00 / 0)

The school delivered consequences to several students as per the DHS handbook. They also engaged the police immediately. I am unaware of the exact outcomes of disciplinary proceedings because, unlike police reports, student records are not made available to the public.  

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by: stebivule @ Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 10:38:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Brian (0.00 / 0)

Don't take the high road now, by allowing Dedham1636 to post this, you have opened the conversation and speculation on what happened.  If Dedham1663 isn't corrected, he/she will continue to spread these false rumors.

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by: JM @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 18:05:32 PM UTC

Suggestion (0.00 / 0)

Can I suggest that discussion on this topic be terminated.  It has all been said and nothing good is going to come of further discussion.   Thanks

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by: Craig @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 18:14:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I would like (0.00 / 0)

Brian to delete the whole topic.

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by: JM @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 18:19:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Spreading false rumors? How do you know they are false? (0.00 / 0)

I am not interested in knowing the details of the assault (aside from knowing that the response has been swift and appropriate), but, I am curious why at least 2 posters here know exactly what happened.  Unless you are a parent, police officer or school administrator, that seems inappropriate.  

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by: plums @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 18:46:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Information (0.00 / 0)

If you want information in this world, all you have to do is ask for it. Just about any student at the high school has heard some version of the incident and most are probably somewhat close to the truth.  Also, even though the individuals involved are minors, my impression is you can walk into police HQ and request a copy of the police report. They can choose to redact identifying information, or refuse to release the report on the grounds that it may interfere with an ongoing investigation, but in most cases if you ask for a police report, you get it.  

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by: stebivule @ Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 00:28:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The original topic (0.00 / 0)

The original post had as its focus "what the administation is doing to prevent this in the future."  That is a legitimate topic of discussion.  

Speculation about what may or may not have happened in the locker room is not.  No rumors have been spread about the incident on here, and I intend to keep it that way.


myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!

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by: Brian @ Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 19:24:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Point of Agreement (0.00 / 0)

dedham1636 and I agree on one thing:

I think if it were one of your kids in the locker room who was raped (an its my understanding this is what happened) you'd be singing a very different tune.

Of course I would. As would anyone. Crimes committed against a close family member or friend result in intense emotional responses and rage that can completely impair one's ability to think rationally about the situation. This is why in America people are not allowed to sit on a jury if they were friends of the victim.  As one of many people fortunate enough to be on the outside of this incident looking in, I get the benefit of not being swayed by raw emotion while forming my opinions about how the situation was handled.  

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by: stebivule @ Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 00:37:17 AM UTC