Principal remains on leave as investigation into locker room theft continues at Oakwood HS

OAKWOOD — A male student at Oakwood High School was caught in the girls’ locker room stealing clothes, leaving the girls’ basketball team feeling “absolutely violated,” according to records from the district.

In January, the male student was found in the girls’ locker room, going through student backpacks, and taking female clothing, according to an email sent from Superintendent Neil Gupta.

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In an email obtained by News Center 7 through a public records request, one Oakwood player told Principal Paul Waller on Feb. 2 that she was “truly disgusted” by the situation.

“I feel like we, as a team and individually, have been disrespected by both the student and the school, as a whole,” the student wrote.

On the same day as that email, Waller was placed on paid administrative leave by Gupta. In a letter notifying Waller of this, Gupta said he was to “refrain from having any contact with Oakwood students or their families regarding Oakwood High School business, including the recent girls’ locker rooms investigation.”

In the student’s email to Waller, she said the situation made her question whether the school was following its mission statement.

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“At first, I was very angry and I was hoping that ‘the school will deal with it’ would be true…However, it did not go that way,” she wrote. “Instead, we had to beg for even a suspension after a kid in our school went through our locker room and stole stuff repeatedly for who knows how long.”

New Center 7 also obtained a letter Waller sent to the parents of the girls’ basketball team on Jan. 25, prior to being placed on leave. In it, Waller said the school was ensuring safety protocols were in place and that counselors were available for support.

News Center 7 reached back out to the district about Waller’s employment status this week. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the district confirmed he was still on paid administrated leave.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot provide any further comment,” the spokesperson said.

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