Student Suspended For Harassing Jamey Rodemeyer’s Sister Alyssa At School Dance; Williamsville Schools Superintendent Publically Defends District’s Response To Jamey’s Suicide

A student accused of harassing the sister of Jamey Rodemeyer at the Williamsville North High School Homecoming dance last week has been suspended by the school district. The Buffalo News is reporting that district officials and the Amherst New York Police Department continue to investigate the homecoming incident and the bullying that Jamey endured before the high school freshman killed himself last month. No other suspensions or charges have been issued. The suspension stems from a tense encounter at the September 22 homecoming dance. Alyssa Rodemeyer said that as she and friends chanted Jamey's name, a "little group" of students approached her to say they were glad her brother took his life. "I think it's a step in the right direction," Timothy Rodemeyer, the father of Jamey and Alyssa, said of the suspension. There are other developments in the case: Alyssa revealed new details about the day Jamey killed himself and the events at the homecoming dance in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that airs Monday. Someone recorded parts of the homecoming incident, according to Alyssa, but police do not yet have the video. Alyssa spoke to Amherst police detectives Thursday, and she and other students are scheduled to meet with district officials Monday. Williamsville Schools Superintendent Scott G. Martzloff has begun to publicly defend the district's response to Jamey's suicide; he will attend a meeting Monday of the Parent Teacher Student Association at Williamsville North. "Let me be clear: We will not let the actions of any student threaten the emotional well-being of others," Martzloff said in a video posted late Thursday on the district's website that revealed the suspension. The suspension is the first disciplinary action taken since Jamey's September 18 suicide. Jamey was subjected to relentless bullying at Heim Middle School, harassment he documented in online forums where cyber-bullies attacked him. Jamey, who had questioned his sexuality and was seeing a school social worker and a counsellor, was 14 and had just started at Williamsville North. His sister told Cooper that she was the one who found Jamey's body in their backyard. "I didn't really have time to soak it all in because I was in a state of shock and I was trying to do everything to, you know, call 911, get my parents, you know, try to save him," Alyssa says in an "Anderson Cooper 360" interview transcript. The homecoming dance for Williamsville North, where Alyssa is a junior, was held the same night as a wake for Jamey. Alyssa went to the dance from the wake with some friends, at the urging of her parents and to take their mind off the pain of Jamey's death, she told Cooper. Jamey's favourite singer was Lady Gaga, and when one of her songs was played at the dance, Alyssa and her friends began singing along and chanting Jamey's name. That's when, Alyssa said, "like three" students came up to her group and told her they were glad Jamey took his life. Eventually, Alyssa said, the students stopped insulting her brother and they ran from the dance when it appeared they could get in trouble. "I don't understand who would have the heart to disrespect someone even after they're dead. It's mind-blowing," she told Cooper. A parent reported the incident to Amherst police, who interviewed a number of witnesses before talking to Alyssa on Thursday, said Amherst Police Capt. Michael Camilleri. The confrontation was over by the time off-duty police officers at the event began to investigate. Amherst police previously said two sets of students accused the other side of inciting the conflict. Police have interviewed the students named in the original police complaint but they haven't decided whether charges will be filed for anything that happened to Jamey before he died or to his sister at the homecoming event. The student's suspension stems from the school district's ongoing investigation into what was said and done during the homecoming festivities. "While our investigation continues, we have already identified a student that we believe is responsible for this incident, and have imposed a suspension to the fullest extent allowed under education law," Martzloff said in the online video the district posted Thursday. He did not provide details, and wasn't available Friday for an interview. District spokeswoman Rita M. Wolff said she could not reveal further information on the student. The Rodemeyers said they are glad the district has acted against a student accused of harassing their daughter, but they hope Jamey's bullies are held accountable. The Rodemeyers and their daughter will appear Monday on "Anderson Cooper 360." "I think it's awesome that all this attention is coming on. I think it's also somewhat a sad thing," Tim Rodemeyer said. "I think the reason it's getting all this attention is because [bullying] is such a big problem."