Parents in Spencerport bullying case: 'There's going to be extra arrests'
Dec 28, 2024
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – An arrest has officially been made in an ongoing bullying investigation within the Spencerport Central School District.
Lia Sick is taking legal action with the support of her parents after her family said a group of boys surrounded her at school Nov. 22 and slammed her against her locker. Lia is a student at Cosgrove Middle School.
Cosgrove Middle School. WROC file photo.
Lia Sick school photo. Provided by the Sick Family.
Criminal charge filed in Spencerport school bullying case
"The boys did get extra punishment, which we are not sure of - after the DASA form was founded," admitted Shaun Sick, Lia's father. "But, with police being involved and what not, I can guarantee there's going to be extra arrests happening pretty shortly, and we're very happy about that as well."
Parents Shaun and Kim Sick took further legal action after they said the school's response to this incident wasn't enough and did not bring justice to what Lia experienced.
"We are very grateful to the police. We did have to reach out to them ourselves and get the ball rolling on everything, but we are very, very happy with their response so far and their hard work, and we're happy that something has come of their investigation," said Kim.
Following the initial incident, the family said they all began to receive threats from other students at the school through Facetime calls and on social media. The family said Tuesday evening, Christmas Eve, one of the students accused of making these calls was arrested. The Greece Police Department announced Saturday morning that they've been charged with aggravated harassment, but did not elaborate on how they were involved.
"He was part of the phone harassment - so Lia is happy about that because that was scary. He threatened our house; he threatened a lot of things," said Kim.
Although Shaun and Kim said the juvenile arrested is not one of the boys who allegedly pushed Lia into her locker in November, they called it a step in the right direction. They told News 8 Saturday following the announcement that with everything they've gone through, they hope it sends a bigger message to kids and families who may be facing a similar situation.
“Parents and kids that are targeted with this bullying - we've had enough, and things need to change, rules need to be changed, punishments need to be changed," Shaun said. “But the biggest thing is to speak up, because these kids have no power, the bullies have no power when actions are taken.”
Kim also emphasized the larger role police played in all of this - expressing disapproval for how school leadership has handled the situation.
"We fear that, if we had not done everything we had done, that three-day suspension would have been all they got and they would have continued on about their days, going to school, playing sports, taunting Lia in the hallway - it's just not right," Kim Said.
Following Saturday's announcement, Spencerport Central School District released a statement saying the arrest "speaks to the severity of this bullying incident." The superintendent wrote to Cosgrove families:
Dear Cosgrove Families,
The recent announcement by the Greece Police Department speaks to the severity of this bullying incident and we are appreciative to law enforcement for the response and attention given to this matter.
A charge of aggravated harassment in the second degree addresses the most severe behavior, which occurred outside of school. This latter point is important to make, given the complexities of bullying and how it often interconnects between home and school.
For the school incident, we have pursued every action within our authority, consulting with law enforcement and conducting a DASA investigation led by a third-party law firm that specializes in school law. This investigation has been submitted to the impacted families and New York State Education Department, and consequences have been administered.
Concerning behaviors must be addressed, whether at home or school, and the only way to see change is by collectively working together. Please consider this situation as an opportunity to talk with your children about appropriate behaviors, misuse of social messaging apps, and reporting any bullying or safety issues to a trusted adult.
Thank you,
Ty Zinkiewich, Superintendent of Schools.