JDHS senior accused of hazing speaks out

Juneau Douglas High School. (Photo by Sarah Yu/KTOO)
Juneau Douglas High School. (Photo by Sarah Yu/KTOO)

A Juneau-Douglas High School senior accused of being involved in a paddling incident in May unsuccessfully appealed his disciplinary suspension at last night’s Juneau School Board meeting.

The board planned to hold the proceeding in executive session, but the student, Adam Empson, asked it be public.

Empson, a football and basketball player, read a statement maintaining he was not involved. He appeared with his lawyer, Paul Grant.

School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett says lawyers on both sides took part in an Oct. 15 school board subcommittee hearing on the matter. She says the subcommittee and the full board backed the administration’s suspension.

The suspension followed a third-party investigation that concluded seven incoming seniors paddled six incoming freshmen.

In 2013, Empson’s high school football team was recognized by the Alaska School Activities Association as being No. 1 for sportsmanship among medium-sized schools.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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