Published: May 01, 2008 02:33 am            

WILSON: Meeting set for tonight on alleged assault

WILSON — Wilson school officials are hoping tonight’s meeting at Wilson High School will give concerned parents and residents the chance to ask questions and get some answers.

State police and school administrators will host the meeting at 7 p.m. to address an alleged assault on a Wilson school bus that resulted in five arrests, including three students and two coaches.

The alleged incident occurred April 17 on a bus carrying members of the varsity and junior varsity baseball teams, as they returned to Wilson from games in Niagara Falls.

Three varsity baseball players — 18-year-old Geoffrey A. Seefeldt and 16-year-olds Colton J. Sherman and Christopher A. Sidote — have been charged with various counts of endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree aggravated sexual abuse.

Coaches Thomas J. Baia Jr. and William Atlas were each charged Tuesday with endangering the welfare of a child.

State Police Maj. Christopher Cummings said the alleged incident began with hazing activities in the back of the school bus and progressed to the level of abuse.

The arrests prompted the school district to cancel the varsity baseball season. Baia and Atlas were both suspended from coaching Friday, and upon their arrests Tuesday, were suspended from teaching, as well.

Superintendent Michael Wendt said the school has offered counseling for students. The school has also upped security, adding two school resource officers.

“The New York State Police offered us a school resource officer for at least a period of time to help us transition through this,” Wendt said. “Basically, they are rotating their schedules to be sure we have a school resource officer on staff here (at all times).”

He said the resource officers are a “welcome addition” to the school, and he hopes students will learn to trust them.

“Kids didn’t feel they had somebody they could come to and express their concerns,” he said. “Here’s just another conduit or avenue for kids to express their concerns.”

The district is also changing up its supervision on buses, both for extracurricular and sports events.

“We’re placing people strategically on bus runs,” Wendt said. “Instead of sitting in the front, we have them sitting in the back.”

The three teens charged in connection with the alleged incident will appear May 22 in Wilson Town Court. Baia and Atlas are scheduled to be arraigned May 8.

Atlas, 35, is a physical education teacher at Thomas Marks Elementary School in Wilson and Baia, 40, also of Wilson, is a math teacher at Wilson Middle School. They are currently suspended with pay from teaching.

Baia’s father, Thomas Baia Sr. of Youngstown, said he believes his son, who has been coaching baseball for seven years, is innocent of the charges.

“He’s been taking kids on bus rides for 18 years, and his record is exemplary,” Baia Sr. said. “The seven years he’s done the baseball, he’s never had a problem.”

He also defended Atlas, whom he said is married with three young children.

Baia Sr. said the media attention the case has received has been very hard on the Baia family.

“I think it's kind of gotten out of control,” he said. “It gets personal. ... After this is over, where do you go to get your reputation back?”

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.



INVESTIGATION:

• TIPS: State police investigators are asking anyone with information on potential hazing at Wilson High School to call the Lockport barracks at 434-5588.

        

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