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Parents tell Carmel board DASA complaints went unheeded as trustees promise follow-up
Summary
Parents at the Carmel Central School District meeting on June 18 described repeated assaults and harassment they say were not properly reported or investigated under the district—s DASA procedures; trustees apologized, said DASA is mandatory for any employee who learns of an incident, and promised follow-up and reports to Albany.
At the June 18 Carmel Central School District Board of Education meeting, multiple parents described a pattern of alleged bullying and repeated failures by school staff to follow the district—s DASA complaint procedures.
Jessica Emerick Olsen, a parent who identified herself during public comment, recounted a sequence of incidents beginning in November in which her child was repeatedly sprayed with perfume and then subjected to homophobic slurs. "This is assault by law," she said, describing several separate reports she said were filed and never acted on. Olsen said multiple adults in the building failed to interview students, notify parents, or file the required DASA reports.
The account drew other emotional public comments. Samantha Fulling (first listed as "Fulling" in the meeting sign-in) criticized district staff and union leadership for what she described as a longstanding failure to protect students and urged the board to take concrete action rather than rely on written policies.
Trustees acknowledged the seriousness of the accounts. "Our DASA policy requires any employee who becomes aware of an incident of this sort to file a DASA report," Trustee Wise said, adding that when adults do not report incidents the district cannot ensure accountability. "We need to start taking action to ensure that our policies are understood and implemented," she said.
Board members said the district will follow up. The interim superintendent said administrators will be in contact with parents who raised concerns and that the district will include these issues in upcoming reports to New York State. Trustees also urged staff training and clearer implementation of reporting procedures.
Several speakers also raised related special-education concerns, saying IEPs and Section 504 plans were not always followed when students needed medical or behavioral supports. Megan Williams, a SEPTO representative, urged the board to keep IEP/504 implementation on the special-education committee agenda to ensure public review and follow-up.
Board members stressed limits on what they can say publicly about specific cases that might later come before the board on appeal but repeated a commitment to protect student safety and to pursue administrative accountability. The board said it will follow up with affected families and review how DASA and IEP procedures are being applied at the building level.
The board did not take formal disciplinary action during the meeting; trustees said a fuller administrative review and any personnel or procedural remedies would be handled through established processes and, when appropriate, in executive session.
