Cristo Rey hidden camera investigation; students, parents frustrated
Cristo Rey students, parents frustrated
A chaotic school board meeting ended in a student walkout at Milwaukee's Cristo Rey Jesuit High School on Friday.
MILWAUKEE - A chaotic school board meeting ended in a student walkout at Milwaukee's Cristo Rey Jesuit High School on Friday.
The backstory:
Families are pushing for answers after charges were filed against a former school security guard. Fernando Bustos, 41, is charged with invasion of privacy after prosecutors say he hid a camera in the girls' locker room.
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Students walk out
What they're saying:
Parents said their main frustration is the school's communication. They are upset that they only learned what happened this week after Bustos ws charged – nearly two weeks after the school called police and nearly a year after prosecutors said Bustos started recording victims.
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Prosecutors charged a former security coordinator at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School after they said he put a camera in the girls' locker room and now students are demanding more transparency.
"It hurts just how they broke our trust," said student Maria Vela. "It makes us sad. It makes us angry. How do they expect us to get over it, or expect us to not say to not say much?"
"They only heard our concerns, but never tried to answer our questions," parent Ana Karen Leija said. "We don't want to know the same thing we want clarification."
Friday's school board meeting ended in an early dismissal for students. Many were already walking out and getting picked up by their parents just before noon.
School president speaks
The other side:
For several days, FOX6 News asked for interviews.
"This is a tremendously difficult time for our community," said Andrew Stith, president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.
On Friday, the school's president went on camera. He said they were trying to balance informing families with preserving the investigation.
Andrew Stith
"We are doing our best to keep our parents informed in the midst of an active criminal investigation. We are working with police, with all the folks that are involved with this issue, to get out what we know when we know it," he said. "Moving forward, we are committed to student safety and we will be making changes.
Stith said no red flags popped up in Bustos' hiring, and the school followed all state and local requirements.
"We are very sorry that this happened. Our hearts are broken. I want to express that, and I expressed that this morning," he said. "I feel like we are going to make changes to make sure it doesn't happen again."
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What's next:
The school promises families regular updates and changes to make sure this does not happen again. Stith said that includes:
- Providing regular updates
- Making plans to address families' concerns as soon as possible
- Making changes that are visible to ensure students and parents feel safe
- Offering counseling services to the entire school
- Continuing to operate with the same mission and values that they have in the past 10 years
The Source: Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, the Greenfield Police Department and prior coverage.