Thursday, March 24, 2005

 

A secret spot: Students gone wild or just an innocent diversion?

By MIKE CRISSEY (who I have talked to on the phone)
Associated Press Writer
BENTLEYVILLE, Pa. (AP) — It was a gym teacher who made the discovery: Behind a hallway hatch used to access locker room pipes, students at Bentworth High School had created their own little hideout.

Just how secret the ‘‘secret room’’ was, how many students knew about it and what went on there depends on who’s doing the talking around Bentleyville, a one-stoplight coal patch town of 2,500.

Here’s what is known:

—Flashlights, candles, marijuana roaches, missing gym mats, a tool box and a knife were found in the dank, concrete room. Also found was a disposable camera with pictures of a boy bound with duct tape and a girl exposing her breasts.
—No crimes were committed, police said, but at least 10 students were disciplined.
—Superintendent Thomas Turnbaugh, who led the district for 12 years, resigned amid criticism from police over his handling of the affair.

As to how seriously to take the episode, residents are not of one mind.

Some see it mostly as an innocent diversion by kids desperate for something to do in this town 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. Others see it as a sign the school lost control.
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posted by Anne 3/24/2005 02:42:00 PM