This is my notes of what had happened
On October 31, 2024, my son Korbin stayed home from school because he had a headache. During the day, I decided to check his phone because he had previously faced challenges at Aquinas High School that had raised concerns. When I reviewed his phone, I found a video of two students I didn’t recognize playing with his phone. One of them said, “Let’s do this.”
Another video showed the students putting Korbin’s phone back in his lunchbox and positioning the camera to face outward through the mesh pocket. This setup allowed the phone to record about 27 minutes of footage of students in the locker room as they changed for a sporting event or PE class. Since the phone was hidden in Korbin’s lunchbox, no one knew they were being recorded except the two students involved. The recording started at 2:47 PM during school hours, and it seemed like these students had skipped study hall to do this.
I was shocked and contacted a trusted teacher, sharing a screenshot of the video and asking for help identifying the students. I didn’t know one of them. The teacher told me that one student was a junior on the football team, and the other was a sophomore (which I knew) who was also on the football team. After confirming their identities, I reported the incident to the local police department because it involved the illegal recording of students in a private space without their consent. I felt like I was dealing with something serious, like child pornography (since the kids were changing in the video). The responding officer assured me that there was no immediate danger and that they would handle the matter the next morning.
The next morning, I met with the school principal at 7:37 AM. I presented the evidence and discussed the situation. However, a different officer was in training, so the officer I had called arrived. The principal was shocked by the footage, especially the deliberate actions of the students, whom intentionally hid Korbin’s phone back in his lunch box. Subsequent investigations revealed that six students have been recorded while changing in the locker room.
Given the seriousness of the incident, I expected the two students responsible to face immediate suspension. However, later that day, around 2:30 PM, I was informed that they would not be suspended and would return to school on Monday. They would also be allowed to continue participating in sports, including a crucial football game that would determine the team’s advancement to the championship. This decision deeply concerned me because it violated multiple provisions of the school’s handbook and the athletic code of conduct, which all parents and students are required to sign before participating in school sports.
That evening, I received a message from a teacher, stating that a parent had questioned why the two students were suspended. The teacher asked for permission to share what had happened, which I granted. However, I later received another message stating that the two students were still allowed to play. Upon further investigation, I discovered that (MSK) had made the decision to let them participate. I couldn’t believe it!
On Saturday, I reached out to friends at Aquinas to learn more about this MSK. A friend helped me find his number, and I left a message requesting a meeting. He called me back about an hour later and invited me to his home. I shared the details of the incident and asked why he allowed the two students to play.
He explained that he had asked two questions: (1) Was the act intentional? and (2) Were the students suspended? Both answers, he said, were “no.” I expressed my disappointment, pointing out that it was impossible to determine intent at that stage since the police investigation was not yet complete. I also questioned whom he had consulted regarding the suspension—whether it was the principal, a teacher, or a parent because I heard from the teacher they were suspended.
MSK assured me that an investigation had been conducted and emphasized the Catholic Church’s high standards for student safety.
I then shared my experience as a PE teacher and cross-country coach at the school, where I underwent training based on the Catholic Church’s red and green handbooks. These handbooks emphasize the responsibility of teachers, coaches, and administrators to protect students and strictly adhere to policies. I expressed my concern that by allowing the students to play without fully understanding the situation or enforcing the school’s policies, he had failed to protect the students involved, including my son.
The following Monday, my husband and I met with the school administration for about 40-50 minutes. They informed us that instead of enforcing existing policies, the school planned to implement “contracts” for the students. These contracts stipulated that the kids would write apology letters to Korbin or have discussions with him. I was still upset with the situation and how the school had handled it. I also expressed my concerns that they were allowing the actions of what these two athletes of what they did in the locker room, and how they treated Korbin after they fact of what had happened, they should be treated the same as everyone else. Policies are established for a reason!
Leaving the school, we talked about what had happened and how disgusted we were with their decision. However, because Korbin was at school we were waiting to see if those kids apologized to Korbin, after football practice, we learned that they did not. On Tuesday, we found that there had been no apologies. This continued on Wednesday, and we were deeply troubled by the lack of remorse. I had actually called the school one time to have discussion with the principal on this and let him know what was going on at the school however, he did not call me back as my husband had also called and there was no callback from the principal.
Considering the three days of Korbin’s mental health struggles, the treatment he received from this school, and his pierces along with the messages he received, we decided to remove him from school immediately.
