Phone found in boys' bathroom
Oct. 6—NORWALK — Police were called in to Norwalk Catholic School for a situation that happened Wednesday.
Here is a message send to parents Wednesday from NCS President Martin Linder:
"At approximately 12:10 p.m. this afternoon, third-grade boys notified their teacher of a cell phone in the Convocation Center boys' restroom. The phone was propped up on a fire alarm, approximately seven feet off the ground. The flash was turned on.
"The teacher immediately collected the phone and turned it over to me. I, in turn, called the Norwalk Police Department to file a report and hand it off for further investigation. The device appears to be a student's phone and the intent of the placement is unknown at this time. The third-graders were commended for doing the right thing by telling an adult right away. We are working closely with the NPD on this active investigation.
"Safety and communication are of the utmost importance at Norwalk Catholic. While we do not have a lot of information at this time, I will work to keep you informed with relevant updates as appropriate. If you have any information regarding the incident or have questions, please reach out to me."
Here is a follow-up message send Thursday to parents:
"This message is a relevant update from my communications sent out yesterday regarding a phone found in the Convocation Center boys' restroom. The Norwalk Police Department confirmed through their investigation the phone did NOT take any pictures or video in the restroom. Along with myself, the high school administrative team of Mr. Mike Gocsik and Mr. John Livengood is leading the school-side of the investigation.
"Here is what I can report: The phone does belong to a high school student. The owner of the phone unintentionally left their device in the restroom. Other high school students, who have been identified by the NPD, found the phone and intentionally placed the phone where it was eventually found. The high school administrative team is continuing to investigate and will follow the guidance of Norwalk Catholic's Code of Conduct.
"I want to reiterate that the NPD confirmed that the phone found in the Convocation Center restroom did not take any photos or videos of boys utilizing the bathroom during the time involved. While the situation is concerning, the boys that used the restroom during this time were safe. Steps are being taken to minimize the opportunity for a future copycat incident.
"Safety and communication remain a top priority. For those of you that have reached out to me, I will work diligently to respond in a timely manner. I remain hopeful that our school community will move positively forward from this situation and that important life lessons are learned."
Linder did not comment further on the situation.
