LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The security level at Central High School was increased following a student protest early Wednesday afternoon.
In a letter sent to parents, Principal Dr. Tamela Compton said a group of students arranged a sit-in at the school "in response to a social media concern." Students on campus told WHAS11 the protest was over a sexual assault allegation.
JCPS Spokesperson Mark Hebert would not confirm the nature of the allegations but said the district was aware of claims made on social media over the weekend. He said they were similar to claims made three years ago, which were investigated and "resolved."
Wednesday, students said they felt the school's response to the allegations was lacking. That is why they staged the sit-in.
“It's frustrating because I thought they would listen to us and act effectively," student Taniyiah Jones said.
After the sit-in began, students were brought to the auditorium to share their thoughts and concerns.
“We’re preaching Black excellence and just excellence period, and how can you be excellent if students don’t feel safe?" student Eninaja Jones said.
Compton said the school's administrative team worked with the students to provide a "safe space" for them to voice their concerns. According to the letter, some students chose not to return to class after they were dismissed.
"As a result, we increased our security level and called for district security," Compton said in the letter.
While security was heightened, about 100 students were held in the gym until their parents could arrive to pick them up, according to Hebert.
He said Louisville Metro Police officers were called to assist as tensions with parents heightened outside of the school.
“We couldn’t just release the students and parents became upset that their students weren’t being released immediately," he said.
Hebert said one student was cited by the school for assaulting a teacher and no one was arrested.
In her letter, Compton said she would work with the school's mental health counselor and counseling team to help create more "safe spaces" where students' concerns can be heard.
Compton said the school is "unable to tell families how a situation is handled" and can only confirm that one was addressed. School officials could not confirm the nature of the allegations but said they were being investigated.
Editor's Note: Due to the sensitive nature of the allegations and the ages of those potentially involved, we will not include those details until they are released by an official source.
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