School Board Expels Student Involved In High School Vandalism

By Andrew Gorosko

The Board of Education this week expelled a 16-year-old Newtown High School student from school for one year, following his August 22 arrest for allegedly turning on an emergency shower in the high school in July, causing extensive property damage.

School board members voted 6-to-0 to expel Tony Schick of 55 Osborn Hill Road from school after police charged Schick with one count of first-degree criminal mischief, a felony, for allegedly turning on the emergency shower in a science classroom.

The damage is currently estimated at $33,000. The shower does not have a drain. It is used in emergencies to rapidly cleanse students of toxic substances.

Police disclosed Schick’s identity August 22 after they charged him on a warrant in the case.

Schick is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on September 6 to face a judge to answer the charge, which is a Class D felony.

The school board met in a closed session August 27, which lasted approximately 105 minutes, to consider the expulsion. Schick turns 17 years old on September 2.

School Superintendent Dr John Reed, who would not refer to the expelled student by name, said the school board expelled the student for 180 school days, or the equivalent of one school year.

Dr Reed said the school district would assume the costs for a tutored education for the student while he is prohibited from attending classes in school.

The school board’s motion to expel contains provisions which might allow Schick to return to classes in school before the end of the expulsion period, if certain conditions are met, Dr Reed said.

In their motion to expel Schick, effective August 28, school board members refer to the student only in code, calling him “A-01.”

The student’s tutoring program would consist of 10 hours of instruction per week. He may seek readmission to the school system for the second half of the school year, provided that the student maintains at least a “C” grade average in the tutoring program, completes at least 50 hours of community service, and does not get arrested or violate school policies.

If Schick is readmitted for the second half of the school year and further disciplinary action is required, the school superintendent could reinstate the unserved portion of the expulsion.

Documents referring to the expulsion would be deleted from the student’s records if the student graduates from high school.

On Friday, July 13, the running shower flooded the new wing of the high school with thousands of gallons of water, causing extensive property damage.

Dr Reed said the current damage estimate in the flooding incident is approximately $33,000. School officials are waiting to learn the full extent of the water damage on computers.

It remains unclear how the school district will recoup its losses, Dr Reed said.

Because school work crews have had much time to clean up the watery mess which occurred July 13, students who returned to school this week entered a dry environment, Dr Reed said.

Court Documents

According to police, Schick turned on the emergency shower in Room 210-A, a science classroom on the third floor of the new wing of the building. Water flowing from the deluge shower drained from the third level to the second level, entering rooms including the second level lecture hall and two computer classrooms, causing extensive water damage. School officials estimate the shower was running for about one hour before it was discovered.

According to an arrest warrant filed at Danbury Superior Court, school custodians discovered the running emergency shower at about 7 pm, Friday, July 13.

On July 16, Newtown High School security officer Rich Novia informed police Youth Officer Dana Schubert that Schick was among a group of students that had been seen skateboarding near the high school at about 2:30 pm July 13. Novia then pointed out Schick to Schubert.

Schick admitted to Schubert that he turned on the emergency shower, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

In a sworn, written, signed statement made in the presence of his mother, Schick stated that at about 6 pm on July 13, he and several friends entered the school to get a drink and then went up to the third level of the high school.

Schick stated that he and two friends ran from the classroom after Schick had turned on the shower and was then unable to turn it off. Schick acknowledged that he did not inform school workers of the problem, according to the court papers.

A total of five youths were involved in the incident, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

The doors of classrooms in that area of the school had been left open to allow freshly waxed floors to dry.

On July 23, Officer Schubert conducted a test of how the emergency shower is activated and turned off. The officer found that after turning on the shower, he was easily able to turn it off the by placing light pressure on the shower handle, according to court documents.

Officer Schubert said that on July 26, Dom Posca, the head of school buildings and grounds, had told him that damage in the incident might reach $120,000 to $140,000 and might go higher.

According to the court documents Schick told Officer Schubert that he “had attempted to turn off the emergency shower by hitting the [shower] handle with his fist as he ran from the room, but that doing so had no effect on the water flow.”

 Schick is represented by attorney Steve Smart.