SILVER CREEK, N.Y. — The Silver Creek Central School District Board of Education held its first meeting since accusations surfaced of improper use of a de-escalation room at the elementary school.

Parents say that students who "misbehaved" are put into the room for extended periods with no way out. They say they found out through a senior staff member named Jay Hall.

The district superintendent has said the accusations are not true. Board President Stephen Boothe says the investigation is ongoing.

Parents once again expressed their concerns Thursday night.

"Since my receipt of the letter on March 29, 2022, our board has taken this matter very seriously," said Boothe. "Mr. Hall has alleged that under our watch, children have been mistreated. Nothing could be more serious than that. Simply put, the board's only goal from the start is to know whether the allegations are true, and if so, to take appropriate action."

"As a concerned parent and person of the community, I have only one question to you guys," said a parent named Carey. "If you guys are taking the allegations seriously, of Mr. Hall's letter, if you're taking that seriously, why haven't the accused been put on any sort of leave?"

Boothe did not respond to that question.

He says Hall, who initially sounded the alarm, has been uncooperative with the investigation.

Hall posted a letter on Facebook sharing his side. The letter says the superintendent claims to have sent in a third-party investigator, but Hall claims that's not true and that the district sent in its own lawyer instead.