Center School District concludes investigation after CHS student was body slammed by security during protest

By Tony Madden

The Center School District has concluded an investigation into an incident related to the Feb. 18 Center High School student protest, Superintendent Troy Hogg confirmed on Tuesday. Hogg declined to say what the district was investigating or what the investigation found, calling it a “personnel issue.”

“Our job is to help the kids know the right way and the safe way to do things so they don’t get themselves hurt or in trouble,” Hogg said. 

The investigation ended after a Center High School student was recorded being tackled and physically restrained by a school security guard on Feb. 18, the same day students led a walkout to protest U.S. immigration policy. Videos of the incident were shared by the Kansas City Defender and Kansas City Discovery social media accounts the following weekend.

Center School District security guards are hired as employees of the district and are trained by KCPD, Hogg said. The guard in the video was not a KCPD officer, the police department confirmed.

It is not clear why Center High School students were not permitted to protest or leave the building for the walkout. Hogg did say the district usually knows about protests planned at the high school, but it was not aware of this particular demonstration. 

Usual protests at Center High School, Hogg said, are organized by a student-led, school-sanctioned organization. They are more organized and typically occur in the gym, he said. Hogg added that if this school-sanctioned group had organized the protest, the district likely would have known about it sooner.

The Feb. 18 protest, however, was led by a different group of students who “felt like they might be targeted” by bringing attention to the themselves or the district, Hogg said. Left out of the loop, the district was in a complicated position trying to keep its students safe, he added.

“Student safety remains our highest priority, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all,” the district said in a written statement on Feb. 23. “We value student voice and have established processes for school-sanctioned expression that prioritizes student safety.”

Students at Center High School were informed ahead of the protest that it was not school-sanctioned and they were expected not to participate in a walkout, according to an email sent to district staff after the protest. The email goes on to say a group of students decided to proceed with the protest despite this warning.

District staff were informed the day after the demonstration that an “unsanctioned” protest had taken place, and that video of an incident related to the protest was circulating on social media. 

“The situation is currently under review, and next steps will be determined in accordance with district policies,” staff were told. 

The videos, reposted by the Kansas City Defender and Kansas City Discovery social media accounts, garnered thousands of views on Facebook and Instagram over the weekend of Feb. 20. 

One video shows a student in a red hoodie exiting the school building through glass doors. A security guard in khaki pants and a black sweatshirt follows him outside. The student is then taken to the ground and physically restrained. 

A second video taken from another angle shows the security guard holding the student to the ground and putting him in handcuffs. Then, the student is brought to his feet and led out of frame. Students witnessing the altercation are heard screaming from behind the camera.

Hogg declined to answer whether the student who was handcuffed is back in school, citing FERPA. He also declined to answer whether the student had autism or a known seizure condition, which was reported in the Kansas City Defender and Kansas City Discovery posts. Hogg did clarify that a stun gun was not used in the incident, as was reported by the Kansas City Discover Facebook post, noting that Center School District security guards do not carry stun guns.

 Hogg also said the normal protocol for a student leaving the school building during the day “depends on what is happening.”

“There’s different levels of concern,” Hogg said. “Where a student goes, or how they might leave the campus.”

The Center High School incident comes as walkouts to protest immigration crackdown continue at high schools across the country. In recent weeks, students from other Kansas City area schools such as Grandview, Ruskin and Lee’s Summit West have also walked out in protest. Protests across the metro have carried on successfully and peacefully, with the exception of an off-campus altercation and arrest at the protest in Olathe. 

“We don’t want our students to think we don’t want to listen to their voice,” Hogg said. “We just want them to understand why we were like, ‘Woah, what’s happening?’”