What happened at Rogers High School? A student’s family alleges viral locker room assault special needs victim sent “unsolicited nudes,” defends arrested teen

Two students from Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island, have been arrested in connection with an alleged assault case, WJAR (NBC 10) reported. Police took a second individual into custody on Saturday, November 22, following the apprehension of the first juvenile suspect on Friday, after a video had recently gone viral. 

According to a clip that surfaced on social media, a teenager is seen whipping and assaulting a fellow student with special needs.

In a second video, another Rogers High School football player is seen thrashing the victim. In both clips, the teenagers are heard verbally demeaning the student with special needs. 

The incident reportedly happened in the boy’s locker room at Rogers High School. Colleen Burns Jermain, superintendent of Newport Public Schools, addressed one of the clips and said (via WJAR): 

“It has been brought to our attention that before football games, there is somewhat of a practice that includes 'roughhousing' and players hitting each other. One of the players took this to an extreme level that is entirely unacceptable."

In a letter to the school community, Jermain expressed her disappointment over the fact that no one intervened when the victim was being hit, WJAR reported.

The superintendent also canceled the rest of Rogers High School’s football season. Jermain remarked (via WJAR): 

“This is a serious matter and there is no grey area when it comes to behavior like this. Those involved will face appropriate disciplinary actions in accordance with our district policies.” 

The superintendent asserted that roughhousing in the locker room is not okay and that such “behavior will never be tolerated at Newport Public Schools.” 

After the second arrest on Saturday, another student’s family member addressed the situation and made serious allegations against the victim. 

A Roger High School student’s family member accuses the victim of problematic behavior

Two arrests have been made in the alleged assault case, with many netizens criticizing the juvenile suspects for hitting the student with special needs.

Amidst the online criticism, a person claiming to be a sister of a Roger High School student made a serious accusation, alleging that the victim had engaged in problematic behavior. 

Raelyn Haydee, a digital creator from Newport, wrote two Facebook posts addressing the incident. She wrote: 

“People see the headline ‘16-year-old assaults special needs student at Rogers High School’ and immediately jump to judgment saying it’s bad parenting, learned behavior, or that the teen deserves jail time. But almost no one stops to ask what led up to this situation.” 

Haydee mentioned speaking to Rogers High School students, including her sister and other teens, and added: 

“They [students] explained that the MAN (he is 19 years old and has been going to that school for over 4 years now) who was assaulted has also been making many girls uncomfortable by taking photos of girls (14-15) b***s at homecoming, sending unsolicited nudes, spreading rumors of people having s** etc” 

Haydee claimed that the students have reported their concerns to the school officials, but nothing happened. The Facebook user asserted: 

“Everything kept getting brushed aside because he’s special needs and didnt know better” 

Raelyn Haydee concluded her post: 

“When you hear the full picture, it feels like the adults failed both students [Victim and one of the accused]. And still—there is absolutely no justification for him being hit or assaulted in any way. It’s just a sad situation overall, and people really need to understand that.” 

In another post, Haydee added that she doesn’t know either student personally, and wrote: 

“Facts are facts and people going off one side does not sit right with me.” 

She mentioned the online bullying one of the suspects has been through: 

“What happens if this boy ends up in a mental health crisis because of all the online bullying this 16 year old is getting by thousands of adults that only know one side of it? Anyone gonna care then?” 

While the Facebook users asked others to listen to both sides of the stories, she did not defend the accused student’s actions and wrote: 

“Under no circumstances should that have happened but have some compassion for both the child and MAN plus thir families dealing with this” 

She also suggested setting up a GoFundMe campaign for the victim and the accused, claiming that “they’re both going through something horrific right before the holidays.” 

For those unaware, the first student, arrested on Friday, has been charged with two counts of felony assault on persons with severe impairments, for hitting the victim twice.

WJAR reported that the Newport police uncovered more recordings depicting the alleged beatings that led to another arrest on Saturday.

The second juvenile suspect, also 16, is facing an assault charge.