An 18-year-old student who was shot and killed after graduating from high school in Virginia last year was confined to his home for months due to safety concerns, but was still unable to attend his graduation ceremony, according to a report released Wednesday. It was said to have been allowed.
The report, prepared by a law firm at the request of Richmond Public Schools, alleges that the decision to allow Sean Jackson to attend Huguenot High School's graduation ceremony was based on an at-home student sponsored by the school without permission from the principal. It was found that this was carried out despite regulations prohibiting participation in the activities of or its designee.
Jackson and her stepfather, Lorenzo Smith, 36, were shot to death in June 2023 at the end of a graduation ceremony outside the Altria Theater in Richmond, a suburb of Virginia Commonwealth University. Police said five other people were injured in the shooting, and at least 12 more suffered other injuries or were treated for anxiety caused by the unrest.
Gun rights supporters gather at the Virginia State Capitol each year for Lobby Day.
Amari Pollard, 19, who graduated with Jackson, is currently in jail awaiting trial on murder charges in Jackson's death.
Richmond Public Schools released a 29-page report and thousands of pages of supporting interviews and documents investigating what happened. A judge ordered the report released Tuesday after the school board voted against releasing it.
The report said Jackson's mother was so concerned about her son's safety that she sent an email to his counselor a week before the shooting asking if her son could miss his graduation rehearsal. . A school counselor advised her mother that if she felt it was “too dangerous,” she would force Jackson into the graduation ceremony without attending the required rehearsal.
A new report reveals that Sean Jackson was confined to his home for months due to safety concerns before he was shot and killed after graduating from high school.
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Four months before the shooting, a mother emailed her son to complain about safety measures when he had to go to school in person to take a test.
“He was in a class with people who were literally trying to kill him,” she wrote.
A year before the shooting, she told the same counselor and school principal, “Huguenot students shot up our house, and we are still homeless.''
Former school principal Robert Gilstrap said in a phone interview that reports blaming him and his counselors for allowing Jackson to attend graduation were unfair.
“When I was there, the mandate we had was, 'We need to get these kids through school,'” said Gilstrap, now assistant superintendent for the Virginia Department of Education. Told. He said it was his understanding that the argument between Mr. Pollard and Mr. Jackson dates back to first grade, and that he had not been informed that his mother had expressed any new concerns about her son's safety. Ta.
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Gilstrap said he didn't know the report had been released until he was contacted by a reporter, and the report says he was “checked out” as principal because he was looking for another job around the time of the graduation shooting. objected to.
“I worked there for eight years,” he said. “I was the longest-serving principal in Huguenot history.”
The counselor told investigators that she did not consult the principal before telling her mother that Jackson could attend the graduation ceremony, the report said. However, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said in a response memo that the school believes Gilstrap delegated authority to counselors to decide whether Jackson should attend graduation.
The school did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the report's findings. The school said in part, “Our shared resolve is to learn from this tragedy and continue to improve to further protect our students and staff. We have already updated our policies regarding who can authorize students. “We are taking a number of steps, including:” a written statement read in part. This is to participate in the graduation ceremony. ”
