Two more Tamaqua Area students have been expelled for their role in a hazing incident earlier this month.
School board members voted unanimously on Monday night to expel a pair of high school seniors. That makes a total of 3 students who’ve been kicked out of school for their part in a hazing incident at what’s known as the “football house” back on Nov. 4.
A high school junior was expelled during a board meeting last week.
During Monday night’s special meeting, very little was said by board members. Immediately after bringing the meeting to order, board members retired into executive session – a conference held in private – for exactly 2 hours. When the meeting finally resumed, the board took two votes on expelling the students.
The meeting was adjourned immediately after that.
Two More Tamaqua High Students Expelled for Role in Hazing Incident
Following the meeting, board president Larry Wittig addressed the few media members who stuck around.
Wittig says there are currently no other disciplinary hearings planned but the school investigation isn’t over. He believes the school has cast a “dragnet” and the inquest is still continuing “methodically down the path.”
“There will be more scrutiny,” he said following the meeting. “This thing is going to unfold. We are going to take it to the end.”
More Details About the “Hazing” Incident
Tamaqua officials still won’t say what actually happened back on Nov. 4 at the property known as the “football house” but on Monday, Wittig spoke about what he believes didn’t happen.
He says the incident was not of a sexual nature, addressing the multitude of rumors, both on the street and online.
“There’s no sexual connotation to any of the charges,” Wittig says. “There’s no sexual assault. The sexual part of this is not true. The rumors aren’t true.”
Wittig says if he were on the receiving end of some of the messages he’s seen, he’d consider suing those posting them.
What has been made public so far is that some time following a football team dinner on Nov. 4 at the school cafeteria, several players left the school and returned to the “football house” to gather personal belongings. That’s allegedly where another student was attacked.
The victim and their parents reported the incident to school officials and Tamaqua Police Department the same night.
ALSO READ:
- Tamaqua Hazing Hearings Continue Thursday – Special Board Meeting Scheduled for Monday
- Tamaqua Hazing Victim’s Father Urges Public to “Slow Down” and Trust the Process
- Tamaqua Expels Student Connected with “Hazing” Incident
- “Several” Tamaqua Students Suspended Amid “Hazing” Investigation
- Tamaqua Board President Reveals “Hazing Incident” Happened, School Won’t “Brush It Under the Rug”
- Tamaqua Superintendent Releases Statement on Football Team “Incident”
Photo: Coal Region Canary
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Edward B. Connolly
November 25, 2021 at 12:19 am
Re: Article about the hazing and the subsequent expulsions at Tamaqua HS
I read this sentence: “The victim and their parents reported the incident to school officials and Tamaqua Police Department that same night.”
I really wish that Canary would not bow to political correctness by using the plural “their” to refer to one (singular) person.
The victim (I presume) is a boy. If this be so, then that boy’s parents are “his parents”, not “their parents”.
Or, perchance, is the victim a girl?
Canary is known for being refreshingly bold and forthright. As such, it should not bend the knee to the grammatical distortions of the non-binary crowd.
Canary Commenter
November 25, 2021 at 1:56 am
It’s never been said who the victim is so those are the pronouns we’re using until someone official uses something else.
Chris
June 18, 2022 at 5:03 pm
Tamaqua HS doesn’t seem to think they have a bullying problem. The guidance counselors solution for a bullied student is to escort him/her to their classes. How’s that for handling bullies!!! When said counselor is told the student will not be attending Tamaqua any more …quote ’you’ll be back in 3 mos.’. Joke was on him.. never happened. Seemed to think superintendent paid his salary too. I set him straight and reminded him WHO really pays his salary.