Four students walked out of a special needs school in Brooklyn last September, and despite one 15-year-old missing for three days, none of the school's staff was found responsible of any wrongdoing, a report from the NYC Department of Investigation says.
According to the report, three of the teens—who are identified as having "emotional and behavioral issues"— simply marched out of the Sunset Park school's cafeteria around 1 p.m. on September 15, apparently unstopped by school staff on the basis that administration is forbidden to lay hands on students. Though police were called promptly after the students left, a missing persons report was not filed until later that afternoon.
The 12-page report details interviews with the students as well as their parents and all school staff involved. Though several school safety officers watched as the teens left the premises, none moved to stop them. One of the teens, identified as Nashaly Perez, was also under watch by a full-time helper. Though some students are granted early dismissal times, the report points out that Perez was not one such student, and that she walked directly past the school's dean, Keith Abboud, as she exited the building.
The school's principal, Joan Antonelli, was temporarily reassigned during the investigation.
