In recent weeks, Niagara Action has posted a series of articles regarding Niagara Wheatfield Schools and their continued failure to address issues of of bullying, sexual assault and harassment. Recent problems mirror those throughout the last 5-10 years, illustrating a refusal to learn from past mistakes.
The District's attitude towards these issues - ones that fundamentally go to the heart of protecting students - has resulted in being sued by the New York Attorney General.
On Friday, November 15th, a female student at the school wrote the following message to Niagara Action. Although her identity is known to Niagara Action, we are not releasing that to the public.
I am a student at Niagara Wheatfield High School and I'm in the senior class of 2025. The school does nothing about bullying, domestic violence, or sexual assault. I was sexually assaulted by another student and provided a restraining order. The school continued to put me in classes with said student, even when I had the restraining order. They also do nothing about bullying.
I have been bullied for years on end and one of the assistant principals at the High School proceeded to put me on a bus that all of my bullies were on. My mom took me off of that bus, but they knew I was bullied by these people and I have had to call police to my bus stop in the past. Administration refuses to do anything about bullying or sexual assault. I have never felt safe at this school. I don't feel comfortable in this school.
If you would like to share your own experience with Niagara Wheatfield Schools and any of the issues raised throughout this article, please email us at niagaraaction@gmail.com.
Last week, it was reported that Niagara Wheatfield High School closed 8 out of 9 male bathrooms and is requiring a police officer to escort students one at a time to use the bathroom. You can here that story here: https://www.niagaraaction.com/police-watching-niagara-wheatfield-high-school-students-go-to-the-bathroom-only-1-bathroom-for-stud.
A history of major incidents can be found below:
2019 Incident
A cell phone video captured Niagara Wheatfield eighth grader Duane Mays Jr. being harassed by classmates who mock his shirt and use racial slurs. Mays remained calm. His parents, Duane and Quatina Mays, were outraged that their son received an in-school suspension after the incident which occurred during lunch at Edward Town Middle School. They question the lack of adult supervision during the bullying and call for improved anti-bullying programs and better monitoring in schools. The school district acknowledged the video but stated they cannot comment further due to privacy laws, leaving the Mays family dissatisfied with the response. Further, many comments made on social media surrounding the video were parents stating that bullying is common throughout the district.
Attorney General Lawsuit Against Niagara Wheatfield Central School District in 2021
New York Attorney General Letitia James recently won an appeal to continue her lawsuit against the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District alleging that the district ignored abuse, harassment, and bullying within its schools. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a previous ruling that dismissed the case for lack of standing and is allowing the lawsuit to proceed in federal court.
Filed in June 2021, the lawsuit claims the district failed to provide a safe environment for students. It detailed incidents involving four students and citing over 30 other unspecified cases of sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based bullying.
The appellate court's decision emphasized that the district's alleged inaction could have harmful effects on a significant portion of New York's population - leaving students feeling unprotected. The lawsuit outlines actual consequences of the district's negligence including a student's panic attack, another's years of counseling, a third student transferring to a private school, and a fourth dropping out entirely. Some contemplated suicide.
One specific allegation noted that a cheerleading coach dismissed a student's absences by stating, "girls get assaulted all the time," highlighting the troubling culture within the school.
Lawsuit by former student alleging school did not protect her from sexual harassment, bulling and intimidation after she was raped by a classmate
A former Niagara-Wheatfield student filed a federal lawsuit against the Niagara-Wheatfield School District alleging that it failed to protect her from sexual harassment, bullying, and intimidation after she was raped by a classmate in 2018. The lawsuit claims that the victim had to confront her rapist daily and endure ongoing discrimination and harassment which led to mental health issues. Despite Elias Dowdy, the offender, being sentenced to probation and the female student having an order of protection, the school allowed him to continue attending school - further subjecting the victim to harassment. The lawsuit asserts that the district did not take meaningful action to safeguard her from future harm.
Letter from parents of female student in 2024
On October 29, 2024, it came to our attention that our daughter had become the victim of cyberbullying, which then followed her into school. We immediately notified the Niagara Wheatfield school district expecting quick action to protect her. Sadly, we were very wrong.
When the mother of the bully was informed, her response was dismissive: “Your daughter is going to hear worse, especially since she’s chubby.”
Rather than addressing this harmful behavior, the district’s response has been disturbingly inadequate.
After days of waiting, on November 1st, 2024, the district finally responded to our repeated calls for them to do something to protect our daughter. They simply decided that the two students should “stay away from each other” and that there would no further communication from the school with the bully's mother due to her “hostile nature.”
Yes, they actually said that the kids staying away from each other would solve the problem - as if they weren't already told the bullying started over social media.
The district's response disregards the seriousness of the bullying and has only emboldened not only her bully, but others to join in and attack our daughter. What’s worse, the bully’s TikTok account is publicly accessible and has a pinned video that directly targets our daughter. The district has seen this video, yet claims they are powerless to act.
Bullying today is different from when we were kids. Back then it largely stopped when you left school, but now with social media it follows children even into their homes making it impossible to escape. Our daughter, who once loved school, now dreads attending because of this relentless harassment.
We refuse to let our child become another tragic statistic of bullying-related suicide. She deserves a safe, supportive environment, and we’re determined to stand up for her and for every child facing similar challenges. We are reaching out to our community for support to hold the Niagara Wheatfield school district accountable and demand meaningful action before this situation escalates further. The family has been circulating a petition on change.org which can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/demand-stricter-anti-bullying-policies-and-accountability-in-niagara-wheatfield-schools?recruiter=894173903&recruited_by_id=2401a020-a0f8-11e8-b2c9-f3fc72c593a0&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard_share_modal&utm_medium=copylink.
If you would like to share your own experience with Niagara Wheatfield Schools and any of the issues raised throughout this article, please email us at niagaraaction@gmail.com.
Niagara Wheatfield High School Put Victim of Sexual Assault in same Class as her Abuser - She had an Order of Protection