LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — One Starpoint student and the parents of another have filed a lawsuit against the school district, board of education and superintendent amid allegations of serious conduct by the team.
The parents claim their son is one the wrestlers accused of inappropriate conduct that led to the cancelation of the team’s season earlier this month.
They are challenging the district’s “notice of emergency removal” against their son, which was filed on February 7, the same day that the district announced that the season was canceled. They claim that the notice did not “identify the emergency threat of physical safety or harm.”
Shortly after the cancelation of the season, a judge in the State Supreme Court denied a petition from several parents seeking to overturn the district’s decision.
That petition claimed that the decision stemmed “from one or two incident(s) that allegedly occurred during team practices” on January 24 and 25.
On Tuesday evening, the Starpoint Central school District responded to comments made about the team at a school board meeting on Monday, saying “the District takes all allegation of inappropriate conduct seriously” and “all steps that can be taken under the law up to this point have been taken.”
It goes on to say, “in light of the seriousness of the allegations raised and the privacy of the students involved, the District finds it deplorable that certain individuals have sought to make this into a public spectacle on multiple occasions.”
You can find the full statement below:
Earlier this month, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to News 4 that there is an active investigation into the wrestling team’s conduct, but no charges have been filed so far.
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.