Parents with students in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district were never notified by administrators about a criminal incident that happened at Heights High School.
The video has been taken down, a University Heights Police spokesman said, but it alarmed the parents of other special needs students. Several parents have now complained to Superintendent Talisa Dixon about the lack of a memo detailing the February 7 incident.
“How was he left alone? How was he left without a supervisory adult?” one parent of an autistic student told News 5.
The parent requested News 5 not show her face or use her name.
Adding to frustrations is the fact that Shabazz was in school while out on bond on a separate felony case. He’s also charged with felony robbery, burglary and kidnapping, accused of robbing a Subway restaurant in January.
Shabazz pleaded not guilty and school district spokesperson Scott Wortman said his rights to an education need to be considered, since he’s presumed innocent
“The student absolutely has a right to continue his education,” the parent said, “But what other arrangements could they have made?”
Wortman declined News 5’s repeated on camera interview requests.
Ken Trump, who runs a school security consulting firm in Cleveland, said it would not have hurt to notify parents of the incidents.
“In today’s world of social media, there are no secrets,” Trump said. “While school officials can’t get into individual student information, certainly they should communicate some general information to let them know there was an incident and that they’ve taken appropriate steps by their policies to deal with the individuals involved.”
Trump also said the student could have been given some sort of alternative education until his felony case gets resolved.
With no word from the district, parents are left wondering.
“You take your child to school…and you believe that you know everyone there has your child’s best interests at heart,” the parent said, “But what if that’s not true?”
