Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Gordon Woodworth, Chronicle News Editor
“I looked to the right and saw her walking toward me,” says 14-year-old Emma Edwards, a sophomore who was attacked at South Glens Falls High School by a female student on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
“My friend and I stopped to let her go by, and she turned and punched me in the face, smashed my head off a concrete pillar and kicked me in the head,” Emma told The Chronicle Sunday.
A second girl joined in the attack while a third filmed it on her phone. The video was posted briefly on social media.
The video, which The Chronicle has viewed, shows a male student — identified by Emma’s mother Tara as Ethan Weller — coming to Emma’s aid, grabbing the first girl and pulling her off.
A cafeteria aide arrived seconds later.
In the video, the alleged attacker turns and says to her friend who’s filming it, “Are you ready?” The attack followed.
The fifth-period attack left Emma with a black eye, three stitches around her right eye and a concussion. She returned to school the next day, but stayed home Monday, still dealing with the effects of the concussion, her mother Tara Edwards said.
“I want to publicly thank Ethan Weller,” Mrs. Edwards said. “If not for him jumping in, I don’t know how this would have ended.”
School superintendent Kristine Orr, contacted for comment, said Emma’s parents “have every right to press charges, and to my knowledge the police have been contacted in this matter.”
Asked where Saratoga County Sheriff officer Mark Stewart, the district’s school resource officer, was when the attack happened, Ms. Orr said, “I have no idea.”
Asked when he arrived on the scene, she said “I have no idea.”
We reached out to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office to get an update on any investigation that may be occurring, but had not heard back by press time.
The Post-Star reported that the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office sent its findings to the Saratoga County Probation Department for review and possible prosecution.
School won’t identify the students
Ms. Orr would not identify the students involved nor any punishment they may receive. She did say that “by state law, students have a right to a hearing and I am the hearing officer for the district,” but would not say if there would be a hearing for any of the students involved.
“Since the students are under 16, we also have to follow the law for compulsory age students,” she said.
Mrs. Edwards said, “I can’t tell you if charges will be filed, but what I can say is we are pursuing every avenue we can legally and we have an attorney.”
Mrs. Edwards said she talked to Ms. Orr, whom she said she worked with 20 years ago, and told her that her daughter feared for her life. Mrs. Edwards said Ms. Orr told her she didn’t plan to view the video in case there is a hearing.
‘First time someone has her back’
School principal Pete Mody sent a letter to high school parents and guardians on Wednesday evening, Sept. 12.
It said in part, “South Glens Falls Central Schools will not tolerate the behavior that was perpetrated yesterday by the students involved in this incident.
“I am disturbed by the conduct of the students who instigated the violence and we will be following through with consequences for the involved parties as per district and board of education procedure and policy, as well as our South Glens Falls High School Code of Conduct.”
Mr. Mody wrote, “We became aware this morning that another party, who was aware of the intent of the two students who perpetrated the violence, opted to take video and then share it instead of alerting a staff member of what was about to happen. That student has also been assigned consequences according to the code of conduct.
“These actions fly directly in the face of the expectations for our students and stand directly at odds with the culture and dynamic we are trying to grow in our building.”
Mrs. Edwards said that Mr. Mody, the second-year high school principal, “has been great. It’s the first time in two years that I actually feel like someone has my daughter’s back.
“I have no confidence in the past administration at all, but I’m giving [Ms. Orr] the benefit of the doubt. This is her opportunity to prove herself and make some changes.”
Cites their past run-in
Emma Edwards said she and her attacker “were best friends in seventh grade. We met at another girl’s birthday party and hit it off. Then she started to change and I didn’t want to be friends with her. That was August of 2016. Since then it’s been awful. She is so vengeful.”
Emma said the two girls fought in November of 2016 in eighth grade at Oliver W. Winch Middle School.
“She was making fun of autistic people, and that’s the one-way ticket to get to me because my sister is on the autism spectrum,” Emma said. “I instigated it the first time. I sat at the table she was sitting at because I had reached my limit. I walked away and she came up to me at my locker. She hit me first but I instigated it.”
Emma’s mom said, “My child is not perfect. She’s human, and she defended herself.”
Emma said of the student, “She won’t let it go. She threatened to stab me after the eighth grade fight.”
Mrs. Edwards said after that threat, “I met with [then superintendent] Mike Patton, who said both girls were told to stay away from each other and block each other on social media. That’s all that was done.”
We reached out to Mr. Patton, who is now Saratoga Springs City School Superintendent, but had not heard back from him by press time.
Mrs. Edwards said calls to Tim Dawkins, who was then the middle school principal, went unanswered and that he refused to meet with her in 2016. Contacted for comment via email, Mr. Dawkins, who is now an assistant superintendent at South Glens Falls, said, “As middle school principal, I made it a priority to respond to all parent or guardian questions or concerns that came across my desk. That has always been and will continue to be my philosophy as an educator and school leader.”
Marathon Dance spirit called bogus
Mrs. Edwards said it’s ironic that during the South High Marathon Dance, “students from all over come and say they want to be like the Bulldogs. Everyone wants to be like the Bulldogs. But that’s one day a year. The rest of the year it sucks.”
A student very involved in the Marathon Dance reached out to The Chronicle voicing similar sentiments: “The only time people are nice to each other is the week of marathon.”
Mom: I’ll pull daughter out of school if her attacker is allowed back
“If the girl who attacked my daughter returns to school, Emma will no longer be a student there,” says Tara Edwards.
“For the safety of the entire student body, she can’t be allowed to return to school. If she does, I guarantee you Emma will not be there.”
School superintendent Kristine Orr said she is not allowed to talk about disciplinary matters for students younger than 16, and would not divulge any details of possible punishment for the girl seen in the video attacking Mrs. Edwards’ daughter.
— Gordon Woodworth
District acknowledges another fight Monday; student was arrested
Another fight took place at the South Glens Falls Senior High School on Monday, Sept. 17, less than a week after Emma Edwards was injured on Sept. 11.
The school district sent the following letter to parents or guardians of high school students at 4:25 p.m. Monday.
“Around 12:30 p.m., several students in an outdoor courtyard got into a verbal argument. The exchange became heated and one of the students threatened to harm another with a Chromebook [laptop computer].
“The district’s school resource officer, who was on site, helped defuse the situation. At this time, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the student. School building staff were notified and school counselors were available to speak with any student who was upset. Counselors will also be available going forward for any student who needs additional support.”
The statement quoted Superintendent Kristine Orr: “We cannot reiterate the importance of ensuring safety and mental wellness for all of our students. We take these incidents seriously and we will continue to work to make our district a place where students feel safe and supported. We are working to provide students with the help and tools they need to work through natural conflict in a healthy manner.’
The statement concludes, “All students are held to standards outlined in the district’s code of conduct, including disciplinary procedures. Students are also expected to follow the high school handbook.”
Separately, multiple sources told The Chronicle a second fight occurred on Monday, as well.
We reached out to Ms. Orr for comment, but had not heard back by press time.
— Gordon Woodworth
District responds on website, calls attack ‘an isolated incident’
On Friday, Sept. 14, the South Glens Falls Central School District posted a letter on its website, www.sgfcsd.org, about the Sept. 11th incident in which Emma Edwards was attacked by two girls while another filmed it with her camera.
It said in part, “Student safety is paramount in the South Glens Falls schools. All district schools have been focusing on being places that are free from hate and bullying in the past several years, as part of the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate campaign.
“The district takes the idea of school culture seriously, and has been implementing programs in every building that promote kindness, inclusivity and positive behavior.
“‘We work tirelessly to make our school a safe and welcoming place for students, and we will continue to reinforce appropriate behavior and building a positive school climate,’ said South Glens Falls High School Principal Peter Mody. ‘This is not representative of the culture of our school. It is an isolated incident.’”
The Chronicle is separately aware of an incident in the spring of 2017 in which a student said to be a South High Marathon Dance chairperson allegedly orchestrated and filmed the beating of another student between periods.
The Chronicle was told that students locked arms around the scene, hindering the response of nearby faculty and staff.
Asked about the 2017 incident and how the latest attack could be termed an isolated incident, Superintendent Kristine Orr said, “I can’t comment on it because I wasn’t superintendent and Mr. Mody wasn’t principal.”
— Gordon Woodworth
Mom of SGF suicide victim: Back ‘Jacobe’s Law’ to fight bullying
Tara Edwards, the mother of the sudent badly injured in a student attack last week at South Glens Falls High School, is urging parents to sign a petition on State Senator Jim Tedisco’s web page (www.nysenate.gov/senators/james-tedisco) pushing state lawmakers to enact Jacobe’s Law.
It’s named for Jacobe Taras, a South High student who committed suicide in April 2015.
Mrs. Edwards said Jacobe’s mother Christine Taras reached out to her after Emma was attacked and encouraged her to speak out in an effort prevent what happened to Jacobe from happening to other students.
Contacted for comment, Jacob’s mother Mrs. Taras told The Chronicle, “Today is my son’s 17th birthday. This is not a good day. But my mission is to do everything in my power to prevent another parent from experiencing what I’m going through. Let’s not let this happen to anyone else.”
She said, “I applaud Tara for what she is doing. More people need to step out and realize there’s an issue.”
The bill would require school officials to contact the parents of a student being bullied or taking part in bullying.
— Gordon Woodworth
Copyright © 2018 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
