Parents meet with Cardinal Newman to address concerns over school threat

On Thursday, parents and community members met with Cardinal Newman School officials in a town hall to discuss the recent student threat.
Maria Szatkowski,

Columbia, SC (WOLO) — On Thursday, parents and community members met with Cardinal Newman School officials in a town hall to discuss the recent student threat. Principal Robert Loia addressed hundreds of concerned people at a closed town hall, answering questions as best he could, and explaining what actions the school is taking.

Loia said another student has been expelled in connection to the threatening videos. He also said the 16-year-old male that was arrested is now considered to be expelled, even though initially his parents withdrew him.

Loia says student’s safety is a top priority. Teachers will be going through a diversity workshop next week, and there will be a speaker series of diversity in the coming months.

“I feel like it’s too little too late. I feel like those things should have already happened, it’s 2019 there’s no reason we should be teaching Catholic children how to behave with children of other colors,” said Bernadette Rush, a Cardinal Newman parent that attended the meeting.

Loia said other security measures and actions will be taking place, such as monthly active shooter drills.

He emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing, and only limited information on students’ involvement can be released.

“I think that our ideals and wishes are in line with what the school is planning on doing. So I think we’ll be able to work together moving forward,” said Devlon Porter, another Cardinal Newman parents that attended the meeting.

Loia says there is disciplinary action being taken with other students, as they continue the investigation.

“I think there’s a little bit of question about the disciplinary actions and the legal actions that have taken place with those who are involved and potentially could have been involved,” said Porter.

Loia addressed concerns from parents as best as he could, apologizing and taking responsibility for the biggest complaint which was not informing parents of the threat sooner.

One parent at the meeting did speak out and say the 16-year-old who was arrested was previously expelled from another private school before transferring to Cardinal Newman. He says he was expelled for making racist threats.

Loia addressed that and said it had not been on his record prior to coming to the school, so he could not confirm it.

Prior to the town hall, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a press conference to discuss the incident.

Lott was limited in what information he could share, as he says the investigation is ongoing and involves a minor. Many details were not released. Lott gave a timeline of events, similar to what the Loia released earlier in the week. He explained why they were unable to arrest the teen just based on the raciall charged video that went viral.

Lott is calling on South Carolina legislators to pass a hate crime law, and says this video and incident is an example why.

“Look at the turmoil that these videos have caused in our community. The fear that these videos have caused. And there is nothing that as a law enforcement officer I can do, to go arrest someone from that. And that is just an absolute shame,” said Lott.

About 20 guns were seized from the teen’s home on the night he was arrested in mid-July. If found guilty, the former Cardinal Newman student faces a misdemeanor with up to 10 years.

Following the town hall, Loia sent the following statement:

This has been a trying time for all of the Cardinal Newman community. The videos are evil, disgusting and wrong. I have never seen anything like this in my nearly three decades in education.

This is a critical moment for our school. First, our students’ safety is our absolute first priority. We are recommitted to teaching one another to appreciate each other’s infinite value.

As the Principal, and leader of our family here, I promise that I will do everything in my power to address the concerns raised in tonight’s town hall. We heard your voices; and let us show you our support through our actions. We will continue to investigate and assure you the investigation will be thorough.

We have a lot of work to do, and are dedicated to doing what’s right, not what’s easy. It has always been and will continue to be our mission to ensure that all students feel welcome and safe, and parents feel confident that their child is growing both academically and spiritually. This is consistent with who we are, and with our understanding of one another. All are made in God’s image and likeness. All have infinite value.

This is my commitment to Cardinal Newman and the Columbia community. We must come together to move forward. I ask you to join me in the important work we must do together – not for us, but for our children.

RIGHT NOW: Big takeaways from the town hall:

 

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