In an interview with the Cap Times, Berry said the incidents involved other students and they did not happen this school year. She said she did not feel comfortable reporting the incidents to staff at Memorial when they occurred.

“At the time, I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t know who to reach out to. Now that I’m a senior and I’ve become more comfortable speaking out, I’ve told more people about it,” she said. “I feel like faculty overhear injustice and they know it’s wrong. Some of them don’t speak up, and that adds to the unsafe environment.”

In an email to the Cap Times, Memorial High School Principal Jay Affeldt said that he was not aware of Berry's complaints, but is following up with her and other students.

"I have met and will continue to meet with Ms. Berry and other student leaders to discuss how we can best move forward to have this dialog as a larger school community in a safe and healthy way," he said. "Also, I do not believe the specific incidents mentioned in the petition were ever reported to school staff, and I am trying to learn more about these incidents from Ms. Berry."

Affeldt also said that he is committed to creating a school culture at Memorial where all students feel valued.