Police list more failures by Canfield Schools to report past incidents
CANFIELD, Ohio - Investigators have now explained their claim that the Canfield School District has a history of failing to report serious threats and other incidents to law enforcement.
According to police, the claim that school officials have failed to call the police for past school incidents was made earlier this week by investigators who found that School Superintendent Alex Geordan misled the public about the gravity of a threat made by a sixth-grade student in September.
At the request of Canfield School Board President David Wilkeson, Canfield Police released a summary of events involving the school that led to the claim that some incidents in the school district have gone unreported to police.
Canfield Police Chief Charles Colucci told 21 News that Wilkeson asked for corroboration that the school administrations reaction to September 12 threat is not an isolated incident, but rather a history of these types of things.
Below is a list of the incidents provided by police:
December 11, 2012 – After the School Resource Officer learned that a student with disciplinary issues brought a knife to school, a principal said he was instructed by Superintendent Geordan to “handle it himself.”
January 11, 2013 – When a school official was tipped off that a student may have a bomb in a locker at the high school, a faculty member investigated, and neither the resource officer nor the fire department was notified. The item found was not a bomb.
May 31, 2013 – A high school student under the influence of marijuana was allowed to drive home after speaking with an administrator. The School Resource Officer did not learn about the incident until the student had left the school.
June 3, 2013 – Although parents of a student who had been kicked in the groin wanted the School Resource Officer to intervene, school officials refused to allow the officer to speak with those involved.
September 10, 2013 – An officer investigating a stolen cell phone and computer tablet was told by Superintendent Geordan that the School Resource Officer is not permitted to interview students while at school, or serve any citations at school.
November 1, 2013 – The School Resource Officer was not contacted when it was believed that two students were under the influence of marijuana.
November 26, 2013 – Canfield High School administrators refused to speak with the School Resource Officer about a possible physical altercation between a faculty member and a special needs student. The teacher either resigned or was fired shortly after.
Summer 2014 – A high school administrator alleges that he was told by Superintendent Geordan not to contact Canfield police about an investigation that the school administration conducted into allegations of drug trafficking during the second half of the 2013 – 2014 school year.
January 27, 2015 – The School Resource Officer was not permitted to speak with three students involved in a fight at the middle school.
February 9, 2015 – A high school administrator told the parents of a student who claimed she had been sexually assaulted by another student to report the incident to police. The School Resource Officer was not contacted. Instead, police say two high school administration told the accused student that he was the subject of a police investigation.
November 16, 2015 – A Canfield Village Middle School administrator says they forgot to notify the resource officer after receiving an anonymous tip that a student had a hypodermic needle in a backpack and that another student had been stabbed with a thumbtack. The student was taken for HIV testing by family members.
June 10, 2016 – A teacher accused of having sexual relations with a student was not reported to the resource officer even though school administrators had investigated the allegation. A subsequent police investigation revealed that the teacher had lied to administrators. The teacher was eventually fired or resigned.
November 17, 2017 – A student who left a note reading “I want to kill my math teacher” was suspended. The resource officer was not notified.
September 25, 2017 – The resource was not notified after a student slammed another students head into a locker at the high school.
December 13, 2017 – Administrators refused to allow the resource officer to take part in interviewing a student suspected of starting fires in two middle school restrooms. The SRO eventually arrested the student for arson.
February 27, 2018 – A middle school administrator told the resource officer that after learning that two students were talking about a school shooting, Superintendent Geordan sent a text message stating something to the effect of “it would be better if there is no police report.”
April 10, 2018 – The resource officer was not contacted after a teacher's blue tooth speaker was stolen, even though the teacher wanted the officer involved in the investigation.
April 10, 2018 – The resource officer fielded a report regarding a student alleging abuse. The student previously reported the claim to the school, which referred the case to children's services. The resource officer was not notified by any faculty member regarding the abuse.
21 News has reached out to Superintendent Geordan for comment on the new information. As of Thursday afternoon, Geordan had not responded.
You can read the entire Canfield Police Narrative Supplement below:
