GUILDERLAND, NY (WTEN) — Tensions were high at Tuesday night’s Guilderland School District Board of Education meeting as parents, students, and community members voiced concerns over the return of a student accused of creating a “kill list” of fellow students. This was the first opportunity for public comment since the start of the school year, sparking emotional reactions from attendees demanding answers from school officials.
Amber Wagner, a mother in the district, spoke out about her fears for her son’s safety, saying, “My son is Cameron Wagner. He was on that list,” while Bonnie Murray, another parent, stood beside her husband, Brian, and expressed similar fears for their child.
Cameron Wagner, a 13-year-old student on the list, shared his own anxiety with the board, saying, “I feel like I’m not safe at all.”
William Critcher, a father of three students in the district, was vocal in his frustration, questioning the school’s decision to allow the accused student to return. “I don’t think it’s fair that you allow this child to come back in with this situation,” Critcher stated. “Georgia right there is living proof. The FBI, the greatest police force in the world, couldn’t stop that from happening. And now you’re allowing it to possibly happen here.”
Despite voicing his concerns at the meeting, Critcher stated that he left without answers. “I got absolutely no resolution out of it. I did not get a single answer.” He vowed to continue pressing the district, saying, “I’m not done. There’s more board meetings. There’s going to be a lot more people next time. I’m going to rally the troops. Something needs to be done. We need an answer. Tell us what your protocol is.”
The school district’s Superintendent, Marie Wiles, acknowledged the community’s concerns but emphasized the constraints the district is under. “The district has a detailed safety plan with the purpose of protecting both the returning student and all other students and staff,” Wiles explained, adding, “However, we are constrained by law not to discuss any more details or specifics of this particular student situation.”
Wiles was referring to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law that limits the disclosure of personal information in student records. Nicholas Marricco, an education attorney with Tully Rinckey PLLC, weighed in on the issue, suggesting that some transparency might have been possible. “If the safety action plan is you cannot talk to Jane, you cannot talk to Jen, and if you talk to Jen or Jane, here’s what’s going to happen. I would argue that the parents of Jen and Jane in this situation should have been notified.”
