GREECE, N.Y. -- An online petition calls for expelling the Greece Athena students who allegedly recorded a special needs classmate performing dehumanizing acts. That video was reported to have been shared with others on social media.
Catheigh Rizzo started the online petition Thursday afternoon. She said in less than 24 hours, more than 600 people signed it in an attempt to get the bullies kicked out of school.
Rizzo doesn't live in Greece or have any connection to the Greece Central School District. Some may wonder why the Irondequoit resident would get involved in something that doesn't directly connect to her, but Rizzo is the mother of a special needs child. Her 12-year-old son has Down syndrome.
Rizzo said what those teens may have done to the special needs child is cruel and unimaginable.
"I just can't imagine that being my child and what I would do as a mother if something like that happened to my son," Rizzo said. "It just resonated with me and I felt I needed to so something to have something happen to these children, to these 16-year-olds who did this horrible act to this child with special needs."
The Center for Disability Rights is a community-based advocacy and service organization for people with all types of disabilities. Stephanie Woodward and Jensen Caraballo are part of the organization. Jensen lives in Rochester and was born with spinal muscular atrophy. Stephanie is a Greece resident with spina bifida.
"If these kids are doing this to someone in school, what's to stop them from doing something like this to me when I'm walking my animals down the street or in the grocery store?" asked Woodward. "I'm an adult and I can handle some kids being bullies and saying mean words, but if you want to escalate that, I'm still a 90 pound girl."
Some may believe the actions of those Athena students, if true, were just kids being kids. However, those with disabilities said that being of high school age, they should know better.
"People don't really understand," Caraballo said. "They don't understand what it is to have a disability, they don't understand that we're just like anybody else and we want to be treated with respect."
As for having these kids expelled, Woodward believes they should be punished but not deprived of an education.
Cathiegh Rizzo said her petition will remain online. She plans to eventually present it to the Greece Central School District administration.