BHS assessing response to harassment

Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Four students arrested for indecent exposure no longer attend BHS.

The Bainbridge Island School District is investigating whether it responded appropriately to a string of alleged indecent exposure incidents involving two special-needs students at Bainbridge High School.

Four BHS students, all males between the ages of 14 and 16, were arrested this week after exposing themselves to one special-needs student on at least 50 separate occasions, Bainbridge Police said. It’s believed the suspects also harassed a different special-needs student.

Deputy Police Chief Mark Duncan said the incidents began last summer, but police didn’t find out about them until January, when the parents of the first victim filed a police report and a sexual assault protection order against the suspects.

BHS Principal Brent Peterson said his staff first became aware of the situation in early November, after a meeting with the victim’s parent. Peterson said the school didn’t have enough information to act until last month, at which time the police became involved.

By state law, schools “must report abuse or neglect of a developmentally disabled person when they have reasonable cause to believe that such an incident has occurred.”

The law stipulates reports must be made to local law enforcement or the department of social and health services no longer than 48 hours after there is reasonable cause to believe abuse has occurred.

“At this point our focus is on determining who knew what, when,” Peterson said, adding that staff were concerned when they heard of the harassment, but didn’t have enough information to act. “Every indication is that staff were entirely focused on the safety and best interest of the student.”

Peterson didn’t know about the allegations until last month. Parents withdrew the four suspects from school before administrators could take disciplinary action. Peterson said their return to BHS as students “is not an option.”

School officials are cooperating with police as the investigation continues. Duncan said that in addition to indecent exposure charges, the teens could be charged with malicious harassment and assault. Bainbridge Police are asking any additional victims or their parents to call Det. Maurine Stich at 842-5211.

Meanwhile, officials continue an internal assessment of the school’s response.

“We certainly can’t undo what’s already occurred,” Peterson said. “What we will do is say ‘what can we learn from this and are there things that could be done to accelerate the response should a similar incident occur in the future.”