Threatening text has Webutuck holding bullies accountable

WEBUTUCK — Webutuck Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani assured the public of the district’s intentions to ensure student safety and hold individuals to account for negative behaviors following an incident in which a student sent an anonymous threat via text message.

According to a letter Castellani posted on the Webutuck Central School District website, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office notified the Eugene Brooks Intermediate School administration of an anonymous threat made against one of its students on Thursday, May 2. From what he understood of the incident, Castellani explained later that a student had been upset with another student about a matter outside of the school district and had made a statement that could be read as threatening. 

In response to the incident, the Sheriff’s Office, the administration and the district’s school resource officer (SRO) stepped in to conduct an investigation. Through their actions, the student responsible for sending the message was identified and held accountable by the district and the Sheriff’s Office “to the fullest possible degree allowed by New York State Education Law as well as New York State Juvenile Law,” said Castellani.

According to Capt. John Watterson from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office made an arrest that day for aggravated harassment. The student’s identity will remain undisclosed as the arrest was termed a juvenile arrest.

Watterson reported that the student had sent another student multiple alarming text messages, one of which implied that there would be violence during an upcoming field trip. As a result, the student was charged and will go before Family Court in Poughkeepsie.

“We work very closely with Webutuck and other schools across the county when a situation like this arises,” Watterson said. “It’s certainly not uncommon, but I wouldn’t say it’s frequent either.”

For the future, Watterson has advised students and community members to report their concerns to the Sheriff’s Office. He has also advised them not to delay as “the sooner we investigate, the better.”

As far as Webutuck’s stance on bullying is concerned, Castellani affirmed that the district has a zero tolerance policy on any type of threats made against students or the school district. While the district has also enacted a zero tolerance policy for bullying, he explained that this approach often has its difficulties because people sometimes believe that the district is not doing its utmost to address the problem. However, he has confirmed that the district is doing everything in its power to make sure students feel safe and to put an end to bullying. 

To provide the safest learning environment possible, Castellani said several initiatives have been put in place, including the Anonymous Alerts system that was installed this past winter and has since received a number of alerts that the district has followed up on and investigated. In addition, he said the district promotes positive behaviors and expectations for those behaviors through its Positive Behaviors Interventions and Support (PBIS) system. Students are also recognized for demonstrating positive behaviors through the district’s Students of the Month program.

Regarding acceptable social media and communication behaviors among students, Castellani said students sometimes forget that what they post can be misinterpreted from their original intent.

“Too often, adults and children put something in writing that does not just go away and by the time they recognize they should not have done so, it is too late,” he wrote as he urged families to have open, age-appropriate discussions with their children on such behavior.

To the public, Castellani has assured that whenever an incident is brought to the district’s attention, it is investigated. Furthermore, he said that if people feel they haven’t been heard by the district, they should contact him at 845-373-4100, and he will make sure individuals are held accountable for their actions.

“At times where they feel that it’s falling upon deaf ears, I can guarantee we are doing everything within New York State Education Law to follow up and put an end to students being bullied,” Castellani said. “They have my assurance that we are trying as hard as we can daily to make sure that we change that feeling.”