Petition accuses Pine Bush School District counselor of covering up sexual assault

The petition also questions the school's disciplinary action and alleges the student was allowed to attend an overnight trip while suspended.

News 12 Staff

Jun 18, 2021, 9:34 PM

Updated 1,269 days ago

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The Pine Bush School District is facing scrutiny after an online petition accused a counselor of covering up a sexual assault on campus.
The petition also questions the school's disciplinary action and alleges the student was allowed to attend an overnight trip while suspended.
At least one other alleged victim has come forward since the petition launched.
Jennifer Nero's now 20-year-old daughter shared a painful memory at Pine Bush High School with her mother for the first time this week.
"She was sexually assaulted her senior year … she went to a counselor … reported it. I was never informed. She was 17 at the time," Nero said. "If they think they should keep these things to themselves, then they should have protected her. She walked the hallway, went to class, took the bus with this person day in and day out."
Her alleged experience is similar to the one shared in the petition.
In both cases, police were allegedly never called and their alleged attackers faced little to no consequence.
"Where was the concern for my daughter?" Nero said.
The district responded in a statement online saying it is reviewing its code of conduct to increase mandatory consequences in cases like these:
"We take such allegations extremely seriously and we believe that such allegations have no place in society at large, and certainly not in our public schools," the statement read.
Crawford and state police are investigating.
The Pine Bush School District has not yet returned News 12's request for comment.
If you or someone you know experienced a sexual assault, help is available in Orange County by calling 311.