By John Dobberstein, Editor
Investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and prosecutors will help evaluate complaints of alleged sexual assaults that have occurred between students in Coweta Public Schools in the past year, Coweta police said.
OSBI, the Wagoner County Prosecutor’s Office and tribal attorneys general will gather at a Coweta church on Friday, along with the Coweta Police Department, to interview concerned parents or students who need to report an alleged crime or discuss past investigations they are concerned about.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Coweta Police Chief Michael Bell said about 15 incidents of alleged sexual assaults of students by other students have been relayed to the department in the last 12 months.
In cases where police feel a crime was likely committed the information was shared with the district attorney or tribal prosecutors. Nevertheless, Bell said his department will be reviewing the past investigations, “just to ensure we didn’t miss anything.
“These are questions that we need to ask ourselves as a law enforcement agency. Did, did we complete these reports? Did we complete the investigations? Did we get all the, the victims and the suspects? And so we’re reviewing them just to make sure that that is in fact what we did,” Bell said.
Bell said he believes the process between the police department and school district on investigations is “solid” and that when cases are turned over to his officers, several are trained to work as school resource officers and handle follow-up properly.
“I know some of the parents were concerned about us questioning children during these investigations,” Bell said. “One thing to remember is if you’re a victim, we can talk to that child if we need to with a school counselor involved. But if they’re a suspect, then that’s when we must have a parent involved.”
Parents and children who visit Coweta Baptist Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday will be able to speak to investigators involved in any of the previously investigated crimes, or an incident that wasn’t reported to police. Those who need to speak with authorities but can’t attend Friday’s session are asked to reach out to Bell.
Bell said Coweta police are currently working three sex assault cases, one of which should be concluded in the next week and two others that will take more time. The other cases reported have been closed or turned over to prosecutors.
Two cases being investigated at Sloat, and one is at Northwest Elementary, and Bell confirmed none of the incidents involved district staff. The alleged incidents took place during school hours and at extracurricular activities such as school sports.
For the cases currently being investigated, Bell said the children suspected of a crime have been removed from school grounds in favor of remote learning, but that action is only temporary unless a major crime is alleged, he added.
Bell said that many cases being discussed in social media have already been investigated by police, but since some parents may feel police missed something, he decided to bring in outside agencies for help.
“Everybody makes mistakes and we must admit that. And as the chief the buck stops with me. If we made a mistake, we’re going to figure it out and fix it,” Bell said.
“As far as the parents and the children that are out there, we hear you. We understand, uh, the problems that you’re going through right now, and we understand that there’s some stress out there with the parents and the children, and we hear you at the police department. We’re here for you.”
Without naming Coweta schools specifically, Wagoner County District Attorney Jack Thorp said Wednesday his office was launching an initiative to address juvenile crimes in schools.
“Recent allegations of juvenile crime in our local schools have understandably raised profound concerns among parents, educators, students and community members,” Thorp said in a statement Wednesday.
Thorp said the initiative will be a collaborative effort between his office, schools, local law enforcement and Cherokee and Creek Nation authorities.
“While school leaders play a vital role in managing disciplinary matters to maintain a positive learning environment, alleged criminal acts demand prompt reporting and thorough investigation by trained law enforcement professionals,” Thorp said. “Once such crimes are reported, investigations will involve collaboration among law enforcement, school resource officers, DHS, and tribal authorities where applicable.”
As part of this initiative, Thorp is launching a “liaison program” to enhance communication between state and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors and school districts.
Bell said Thorp’s office will be working to help officers understand how prosecutors proceed on these types of cases, and there will be dialogue among other police chiefs and sheriffs on how investigations are being handled and if changes should be made.
Coweta Public Schools sent a lengthy email to parents on Wednesday, apologizing for delays in providing information about alleged incidents at Sloat Junior High. “Because of the sensitive nature of these incidents it is important we share accurate and legally appropriate information. In addition to a statement about the incidents we feel it is necessary that you also have a timeline outlining the events.
“As we are legally allowed to share more information, we will provide any updates and post them on our district website.”
CPS said in the email it was aware of recent reports concerning student misconduct at the junior high and the district has been “actively addressing the matters.
“Student safety and well-being are at the heart of every decision we make. CPS promptly responded to the situations in accordance with best practices and applicable state and federal law, including but not limited to Title IX requirements and student privacy obligations.
This response also included prompt notification to the parents/guardians of the students directly involved and reports to local law enforcement.”
CPS said it doesn’t provide the public with details about students involved in misconduct or any disciplinary actions due to the Family and Education Rights Protective Act (FERPA) and state student-privacy laws, “and the need to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations.
“We can share that school counselors and district leaders are providing support and imposing discipline as appropriate while working to understand the causes of this misconduct and prevent future incidents.”
CPS said it will be asking for parent and community input regarding specific safety topics, including but not limited to technology related to safety, the student code of conduct, and the processes relating to student misconduct and safety.”
Bell said the number of incidents investigated in the past year isn’t higher than usual.
“Anybody that knows anything about junior high kids — and I’m just going say this out loud — this is a hormone thing. When kids are hormonal, they’re pulling away from their parents or becoming their own people.
“We also know this is a time when we challenge them with band and football and soccer and things become very, very challenging in their life. And then you throw all the news in front of them and all the bad stuff with AI. Could you grow up at this time as a teenager? It’s very, very tough on them right now. It’s our job as parents to figure a way to, to help them get through this.”
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