Clawson Schools Cooperating with Police on Sexual Touching Reports

Clawson High School administrators are investigating allegations by some students that other students have inappropriately touched them in a sexual way.

District officials did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged offenses.

“As a school district, we take these allegations seriously,” Clawson Superintendent Monique Beels said in a news release. “We absolutely prohibit such behavior in our Student Code of Conduct and in our board policies. We will not condone behaviors that interfere with learning and that are unlawful.”

The school district maintains a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct by both students and staff, according to the release.

The alleged incidents occurred Wednesday and the Clawson Police Department was called to investigate. No arrests have been made.

“We will provide due process and support to our students during the investigation; and when the investigation concludes, we will take appropriate action,” Beels said.

District officials say the current situation ”will not distract from what has otherwise been a great school year for students and families,” according to the release.

For example,

• The school district celebrated the graduation of 114 senior students on June 1, following a year of significant academic achievements for Clawson Schools.
• Student performance on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) improved dramatically across the board in reading math, science, and social studies.
• Seventh graders demonstrated the most significant score increases of about 25 percent in writing, 15 percent in reading, and 15 percent in math.
• Other grades also performed well, such as eighth graders, who collectively scored more than 30 percenthigher on this year’s reading assessment.

“We have accomplished so much this year. It’s incredibly unfortunate that this event could overshadow that fact,” Beels said. “My hope is that the community rallies around our school district and gives attention to those students who have worked hard to make progress this year. We’re all very proud of those students.”