Vigil planned for Sayreville bullying victims

Residents of Sayreville and neighboring communities plan to gather at a local park Sunday to hold a vigil for the students who were victims of alleged hazing at Sayreville War Memorial High School.

50-yard line of the Sayreville High School football field (Dino Flammia, Townsquare Media NJ)

Maureen Jenkins of the Parlin told MyCentralJersey.com that she believes the community has been "divided and broken" by the scandal, section of the borough. "We need to come together."

According to MyCentralJersey.com, Jenkins is organizing a vigil that is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at Kennedy Park on Washington Road, across the street from the high school.

Jenkins told the website that the vigil was also meant to bring awareness to anti-bullying measures as well as to show support for the hazing victims and their families as well as some district officials. "It is also being held in support of the superintendent and the board of ed for the decisions they made for the safety of our children," she said in the article.

Allegations that members of the football team were subjected to hazing of a lewd and sexual nature are still under investigated by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, according to a report in Sports Illustrated. Prosecutors have thus far declined to discuss any details of their investigation.

In an exclusive report published Wednesday by NJ Advance Media, a parent revealed details of “pervasive and wide-scale harassment” and “lewd” behavior that allegedly took place in the locker room at Sayreville War Memorial High School, prompting district officials to cancel the remainder of the storied football team’s 2014 season.

In the wake of the allegations and the meeting canceling the remainder of the season, Superintendent of Schools Rich Labbe said the entire school community is being treated as a victim. He said guidance and crisis counselors as well as social workers and psychologists will also be made available to the school community.

Filed Under: Sayreville HS football

Categories: New Jersey News

Sunday vigil planned for Sayreville hazing victims