NY: Student - I Was Beat Up By Security For Having Cell

Teen Sues NYC High School; Others Allege 'Separate Room' Where Agents Hand Out Fistful Of Discipline
Dec 9, 2008 7:03 am US/Eastern
Cindy Hsu

NEW YORK (CBS) ― A high school in Queens is under fire after students said they were abused by school safety agents.

Now a teenager is suing.

Rojan Morgan is suing Hillcrest High School after he says several school safety agents assaulted him after he brought a cell phone to school.

"They took me to a back room, inside of the school and started to beat me," Morgan said.

"When I came to the school I was ignored and shut out and that's how this all started," mother Trudyann Morgan said.

Morgan's mother spoke at a rally outside the school, where the New York Civil Liberties Union and other community groups called for an investigation into what they say is a problem that's been going on for years.

"We're hearing stories about a separate room where children are taken into and then abused or roughed up by school safety agents," said Monami Maulik of the groups Desis Rising Up And Moving.

Kumar Heeralall said he was assaulted by safety agents last year.

"The whole issue started with a cell phone," Heeralall said. "They took me in a room they handcuffed me and started beating me up."

Heeralall said he didn't come forward until after graduation, out of fear of retaliation.

George Geller is with the union that represents school safety agents and said while he can't comment on individual cases, he said there is no evidence of a widespread problem.

"This is a force that is 75 percent female, 95 percent black and Latino and the idea that they are persecuting poor students in New York City is preposterous," said Geller Of Teamsters Local 237.

The Department of Education said: "We are looking into this. We take all these types of situations seriously."

The protestors said this is just the first step, and the rallies will continue until they get action.

The protesters also want the City Council to pass the Student Safety Act, which would mean parents and students could go to the civilian complaint review board if they had issues with safety agents.