Message from the CEO/Superintendent

March 10, 2023 Dear High Point Parents, On Saturday, March 4, 2023, High Point Academy received via email a written complaint with attached petitions signed by several high school students alleging student-on-student discrimination, harassment, and bullying at the high school campus. When school resumed on Monday, March 6, 2023, some students electronically distributed copies of the complaint to their classmates. Subsequently, my office received several emails and calls from concerned parents regarding these allegations. This letter provides information to the HPA parent community concerning the school’s initial response to these allegations. Since Monday and under my direction, HPA’s Title IX Coordinator and other HPA administrators have been investigating the students’ written complaint. These school officials have conducted initial interviews with several high school students. We have appreciated the cooperation of these students and their families. We encourage each family’s sincere cooperation, candor, and confidentiality. School officials also are interviewing and reviewing documentation provided by the high school principal and assistant principal, who since Fall 2022 have worked to investigate and resolve similar complaints. Further, my office is working in close connection with the White Settlement Police Department on this matter. Throughout the investigatory process, we will remain mindful of the protections afforded to all students, whether complainants or respondents, under the applicable state and federal laws and under HPA’s local policies. Accordingly, the rights of all students will be respected and affirmed. HPA families can enhance the high school’s campus culture by directing their children to conduct themselves continually with honor and integrity. When at school, students should keep their hands to themselves, avoid physical displays of affection, refrain from name calling, and decline to participate in gossip. In other words, we expect all students to treat each other with mutual respect. When away from school during the evenings and weekends, students should avoid harassing or discriminatory behavior towards each other via text messages, social media, or other means. Even though HPA does not have jurisdiction to discipline students for conduct that occurs away from school and school-sponsored events, negative interactions in these spaces can, and often does, negatively impact our on-campus culture and student relationships. Therefore, please continue to reinforce at home our community’s values of honor, integrity, and service. In closing, I remind you that HPA is bound to confidentiality. Under the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), High Point Academy is prohibited from making any public disclosures or statements related to the details of the investigation process or the results of the investigations. Only those families directly involved will receive future updates from me relating to their children. As always, the safety and well-being of our student body are our top priority. Please feel free to reach out to my office should your family have any specific questions or concerns. Sincerely,

Katie P. Stellar CEO / Superintendent