Masuk students want social media bully expelled

Masuk High School, in Monroe, Conn. Jan. 27, 2014. Masuk High School, in Monroe, Conn. Jan. 27, 2014. Photo: Ned Gerard / Ned Gerard Buy photo Photo: Ned Gerard / Ned Gerard Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Masuk students want social media bully expelled 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

MONROE — A petition by Masuk High students to have a peer expelled over alleged threats made on social media has drawn more than 2,700 signatures in two days and prompted several meetings with school administrators.

Principal Joe Kobza sent email to parents Friday acknowledging that “as a school community, we continue to deal with disturbing social media posts that have cast our high school in the media spotlight.”

“As with any situation, there are some rumors and some misinformation circulating, so I want to make sure that you get the latest update directly from me,” Kobza wrote. “At no point have we, or the Monroe Police Department determined any direct threat to the Monroe Public Schools, or any individual associated with it.

“Please be aware of the fact that we are continuing to work closely with the Monroe Police Department and other town agencies to ensure the safety of our students, which is everyone’s primary focus.’’

A school source said the student primarily responsible for the social media threats was not in school “and not likely to be soon.’’

The petition on Change.org was started on Tuesday by Masuk student Nate Rodriguez and is “a motion to have a particular student and any other student(s) involved in the social media attack on special need students and African Americans removed from Masuk High School and placed into an alternative setting.’’

The petition would be forwarded to the high school principal, Monroe’s superintendent of schools and to the town’s Board of Education, organizers said.

The unnamed male student, a junior, has joked several times about shooting in the school and “has also made remarks about two of our loved students whom were removed by their parents due to his constant prejudice on special need students,’’ Rodriguez wrote in the online petition.

While acknowledging the other student’s free speech rights, the petition says that right has been abused and is causing a hostile environment at the school. It also says the student in question has already been disciplined and that his actions have caused an “uproar’’ at Masuk, but that the malicious behavior persists.

Capt. Keith White said Monroe police are conducting an investigation into “inappropriate behavior using social media by students at Masuk High School. The police have not identified any direct threat of violence in the social media postings.’’

Superintendent of Schools James Agostine, in his own statement, said educators first became aware of the situation on Monday, “and since then it has been our primary focus.”

“We have established disciplinary protocols in place, for that reason I am confident that all of our actions taken to date continues to provide a safe environment for our entire school community,” Agostine said.

The students’ petition includes a link to a Dropbox account that identifies the student and displays some of the memes, tweets and Facebook posts deemed offensive.