Records: Student ‘disgusted’ by locker theft
An Oakwood High School girls’ basketball player was “truly disgusted” while others felt “absolutely violated” after a male student was caught in a school locker room stealing clothes, including undergarments, district records show.
The Oakwood basketball player sent an email to school Principal Paul Waller Feb. 2 saying she felt like the school was not doing enough, according to school district documents obtained by the Dayton Daily News through a public records request.
That is the same day Oakwood Superintendent Neil Gupta announced Waller was being placed on paid administrative leave.
The male student was found in the girls’ locker room in late January going through student backpacks, Gupta said in an email to board of education members dated Jan. 25.
In documents this news organization obtained in an earlier public records request, Gupta twice mentioned the girls’ locker rooms investigation in his Feb. 2 letter to Waller notifying the longtime principal that he was on paid administrative leave.
The Feb. 2 email from the female student to Waller states, “at this point, I feel that like we, as a team, and individually, have been disrespected by both the student and the school, as a whole.”
“As a high school girl, speaking only for myself … I am truly disgusted,” she said in the email. “It’s not about how much the clothes were, it’s the fact that I was completely disrespected. Getting my clothes back in that condition is extremely hard, and makes me question how much the school follows their mission: ‘Doing what is best for the students is our guiding principle’.”
Others on the team, the email states, were “truly scared and disgusted and absolutely violated. I had multiple teammates come to me feeling upset, unheard, and truly just disturbed.”
The email also states that “at first, I was very angry and I was hoping that ‘the school would deal with it” would be true … However, it did not go that way. Instead, we had to beg for even a suspension after a kid in our school went through our locker room and stole stuff repeatedly for who knows how long.”
A Jan. 25 email from Gupta to board members states that “due to student confidentiality, we will not be able to share disciplinary information with other families.
“I am sure that this will add to the frustration,” Gupta wrote. “I am sure whatever discipline is given, the other parents will not feel it is enough.”
This news organization has reached out to Oakwood school district officials about Waller’s status. They did not immediately respond.
A letter dated Jan. 25 and signed by Waller to “Oakwood girls basketball parents” states that the principal became aware of the male student’s action on Jan. 24.
“We believe there was one student whose clothes were stolen,” the letter states. “Dr. Waller disciplined the student” and the clothing was returned to Waller’s office on the afternoon of Jan. 24.
Waller and Athletic Director Tyler Rhodus met with the girls basketball team on Jan. 25, according to Waller’s letter.
The team was told it “would not be using the locker room tonight to ensure safety protocols were in place,” the letter stated. “We are doing all we can to ensure the safety of our students and that the locker room will be a safe place for our athletes and belongings.”