Amid Hazing Probe, NJ High School Alumni Recall Culture Of Harassment

WALL, NJ — During the first Wall Board of Education meeting since allegations of hazing and sexual assault at the high school were made public, parents called for answers regarding the timeline of the events and demanded resignations.

During the Nov. 16 meeting, former Wall High School students recalled their experiences with assault going back decades; current students also took the microphone to expose the climate of bullying and harassment they feel goes on inside school walls.

One member of the class of 2020 said that in her time at Wall High School she had witnessed "on a frequent basis" stories of racism, homophobia, bullying, sexual assault, sexual harassment and teacher-student relationships.

"It's obvious to all students and alumni that these recent situations are not isolated tragedies," she said. " They instead speak to a larger corrupt pattern of administration shrugging off incidents in order to save face and protect those who they deem their most valuable."

Another Wall High School alumni who graduated in 1997 said that he had been a victim of two locker room assaults and just last week had told his parents about one of them for the first time. He said that he was dragged by upperclassmen to the locker room, dragged across the floor, kicked and whipped with towels, pads and helmets.

He urged officials to investigate the alleged assaults that were reported last week to the fullest extent.

"I want you to seek out current, recent, long gone students and document their experiences. You will likely uncover a vast culture of intimidation, harassment and violence," he said. "No student should have to suffer a humiliation and violation of the person that they feel so deeply that they have to hold it inside for 27 years. It was only after seeing this incident that I was compelled to come forward and realized that I could not stay quiet.”

The crowd applauded his intervention with a standing ovation. Over 1,500 viewers also tuned in to watch the livestream of the evening meeting expected to address the recent allegations of hazing on the Wall High School football team, at least one of which involves about half a dozen older players pinning down a younger player in the locker room.

Board member Kristen Hodnett started the meeting by reading out loud a letter of resignation from board member Russell Gartz, who did not attend the session.

"Unfortunately, the return on the voluntary commitment is not worth the risk anymore," Gartz stated in the letter. "The visceral and mean-spirited comments about many children and their families over the recent days has made being a volunteer position no longer valuable for me and my family."

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tracy Handerhan stated that the accusations that officials were sweeping the incident under the rug were "absolutely false" and that they could only act based on the information they were provided, reaffirming that the school district contacted the appropriate authorities upon hearing the allegations.

"Initially, despite actively seeking information surrounding the rumors, nothing concrete emerged. We did not stop there. We continued to actively investigate," Handerhan said.

She added that the district started its own internal investigation, but it has since been put on hold until the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO) concludes its own investigation.

The prosecutor’s office has launched two separate investigations, one looking into "allegations that acts of hazing occurred within the Wall Township High School football program" and a second one is following "unrelated allegations that one or more sexual assaults involving juveniles took place off campus," according to a statement released Tuesday afternoon. Read more: Off-Campus Sex Assault Probe Launched Amid Wall Hazing Scandal

At least one student who was also implicated in the hazing allegations within the football program at the high school is facing a separate charge and has been accused of sexually assaulting at least one girl in an unrelated incident, according to New Jersey 101.5.

Three coaches who are also teachers have been put on leave at this point, a spokesperson from the New Jersey Education Association Dawn Hiltner told Patch.

"We have assigned NJEA attorneys to work with them," said Hiltner, adding that she was unsure of how long their leave would be.

Also during the evening session, parents repeatedly asked the board to provide a detailed timeline of when the alleged incidents happened, when they were reported to the school and district and when authorities were alerted.

"The moment that an allegation was brought to your attention an outreach should have taken place to us as the parents," one parent said. "The second that a child of ours was spoken to by a member of your administration in reference to this, the parent should have been notified and that did not take place."

Another parent said that she heard from her daughter that the student accused of the hazing allegation had remained in school after the incident.
"How many days were the accused allowed to remain in school in person post-reported incident?" she asked.

Yet another parent, who said she had relatives with kids attending Wall High School, asked the board why information about the allegations came out via news outlets.

"A town hall should have been organized the minute anyone in a position of authority was notified," she said. "Because a lot of this community knew about allegations coming about as early as the Halloween weekend. And maybe some even earlier."

School district officials did not offer details about the timeline of events during the meeting.
"We can share very very little," Handerhan said after the public comment portion, adding that she could not answer detailed questions and that some of the board members were not privy to a lot of information. "I shared with you all that I can at this point."

She strongly urged the public to contact the county prosecutor in case they have information about this issue, even if they believe that officials already know about it.

Also announced Tuesday was Wall’s cancellation of the annual Thanksgiving football game against Manasquan, putting an end to their season. Read more: Wall HS Thanksgiving Football Game Canceled Over Hazing Probe

A few parents asserted that the football team as a whole should not be vilified for the actions of a few and that the students as a whole were being impacted by the spotlight that has been shone on the school.

"From a handful of kids, you then victimized another 30, 40, 50, 100 kids in the football program. You took away from the cheerleading staff and the marching band,” said one parent. "These kids deserve to celebrate the accomplishments."

Have a news tip, correction or comment? Email catarina.moura@patch.com.