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Despite voiced concerns from parents about an alleged list of girls who would be "easiest to rape," Altoona Area School District Assistant Superintendent Brad Hatch said such a list does not exist.
Rumors of the list have been circulating around social media for over a week, according to parents and residents such as Devon Saylor, Tina Parshall, Jessica Davis and many others who expressed their concerns at Tuesday night's school board meeting.
"I'm here regarding events surrounding a list that rates young females based on some stature that is too obscene to speak about," Saylor said. "I could go on about how the school has handled this and accountability, but I know there are others here that will tell you all about that."
Saylor said he thought this incident should be used as a learning opportunity to explain the situation and how the district got to this point so it can prevent problems in the future.
Saylor suggested courses, lessons or even just an assembly on feminism or men's and women's issues.
"With the growing world of misinformation, we must do our best to educate our students with nuanced answers and complicated questions to provide a safer and more inclusive learning environment," he said.
Tina Parshall, a concerned mother, said she was angry when she heard about the list.
"I think I speak for a lot of women and mothers who are raising our children that we are doing our best so things like this don't happen," she said. "That we are teaching them what they need to know to respect women and teaching our daughters how to be respected."
Parshall said that she was there to learn how these issues are solved and to have a part in making a better community for their children.
Jessica Davis, another concerned resident, asked boardmembers if they could confirm or deny that there was a list circulating with the intent of sexual assault on girls in the school.
"If so, what is the proper form of action?" she asked. "What is the disciplinary action, and have these girls been made aware that they were on the list?"
Board member David Francis then requested that the board address the issue.
"They are here with a problem that we should do something about," he said. "I don't want this to go away, and I want something done in the right way."
Hatch said due to privacy restrictions, administrators cannot reveal some details but he could confirm that there was no list.
"I will categorically tell you there was absolutely no list of any shape or form that existed about females being targeted for sexual assault," he said.
Hatch said there was some very inappropriate behavior that was investigated and addressed with those students and their families.
"I can promise that we take allegations of any type of inappropriate behavior, especially violence against women or anyone very seriously," he said.
A man countered that if there was no list, then why are there so many people at the meeting concerned about it and why were there repercussions that included a Saturday detention.
"Some of the facts that you mentioned that are floating out there are not accurate," Hatch said. "I can't get into what is not accurate. There is no baseball team involved."
He said that the students involved were in extracurricular activities and what was brought to officials' attention was by female students who mentioned other females and who did not allude to any list.
"None of the students involved mentioned anything about a list or any student being on a list," Hatch said. "So where that came from I don't know. I can't answer that."
Superintendent Charles Prijatelj wanted everyone to understand that the district is taking the allegations seriously.
"There will always be rumors; there will always be exaggerations; there will always be someone deciding they want to put a little extra zing behind a story; and social media does not make that go away," he said.
While officials take this all seriously, Prijatelj said at the same time they cannot speak on certain things in public because it is private.
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.