A 15-year-old Spencerport High School student was arrested on February 15 and charged with assault following a violent incident during afternoon dismissal on Monday, February 13, at Cosgrove Middle School. A video of the alleged assault circulated widely on social media, sparking concern and outrage in the community.
According to the Spencerport Central School District, the ninth-grade student allegedly sought out a student from Cosgrove Middle School during dismissal. In the video, the older student approaches the younger student and slams him to the ground. The district reported the incident to the law enforcement officials and is conducting its own investigation in accordance with the school’s code of conduct. The older student is currently suspended from school.
In a letter to district families, Superintendent Kristin Swann said, “This kind of behavior is reprehensible. It simply cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Ogden Police Chief Travis Gray said, “A prompt and thorough investigation into the assault was conducted by members of the Ogden Police Department while working in collaboration with the Spencerport Central School District.” As a result of their investigation and after speaking with the District Attorney’s Office, the ninth-grade student was arrested and charged with one count of Assault in the Third Degree.
“The individual who was arrested is 15 years old and is thereby considered a Juvenile Delinquent per the New York State Family Court Act. As such, the juvenile was issued an appearance ticket, directing him to appear in Family Court at a later date,” Chief Gray said.
Spencerport Board of Education Vice President Michael Miceli made the following statement at the school board meeting on February 14: “We are all parents. We are all concerned board and community members. We take this act of violence very seriously, and without question, we will support any strict disciplinary consequences once the investigation concludes.
“We further understand it is our ongoing responsibility to make sure our students have a safe environment to learn. We are committed to building upon our security efforts in our schools and campus, and focusing on our programs and services to prevent behaviors such as what happened at Cosgrove from ever happening again.
“Finally, with this devastating video going viral, our primary concern is to support the well-being of our Cosgrove student. We respect the reactions being shared within our community, yet we must ask that we protect the privacy of our Cosgrove student as much as possible.”
The victim was evaluated by a medical practitioner and, according to police, has minor injuries but was not hospitalized. The school district says a plan is in place to ensure any additional services or support is provided upon request.
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