dear neil (continuation)

Letter from Welton Academy Administration; Addressed to the Anderson Family

The Welton Academy Administrative Committee and the Board of Student Safety
29 May 1961

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,

It has been brought to our attention that your child, Todd Anderson, has exhibited some aggressive and irrational behavior in the last weeks of school. We wanted to inform you of what occurred, as well as the consequences Todd will face as a result of his actions.

In the evening of Sunday, the 28th of May, 1961, an altercation occurred between Todd another student, in which he was struck in the face multiple times. Allegedly, Todd made several attempts to retaliate against the other student, and instigated the fight itself by forcefully pushing the other student into the wall. Two other students heard the commotion, and while one rushed in to pull the other student off of Todd, the other went to inform Dr. Hager of the situation.

When Dr. Hager entered the room, Todd was found cowering on the floor, having sustained multiple punches. There was bruising on his cheek, under his eye, and on his neck. The other student did not seem to sustain any injuries, but he was being held back by one of the students not involved in the altercation. The other student eventually managed to break free, and that's when he grabbed a letter that had been written by Todd, addressed to the late Neil Perry. We assume that it's a strategy used by Todd to cope with the loss of his classmate. Included in this letter, was a recap of the past six months (November through May), and Todd's experience through the months in question.

In this letter, Dr. Hager also noticed that some disrespectful things were said about the other student, and noticed a resurfacing of Todd's homosexual language toward his late classmate.

Based on the evidence we have collected, we have decided that Todd is the person to face the consequences for this incident. His consequences will be detailed in the next paragraph.

After taking into consideration the gravity of the situation, as well as other outside factors, we have decided upon the following punishments for your child, Todd Hayden Anderson:
– Since the situation got physical, Todd will be issued a fine of $2500. If this fine is not paid, the family of the other student will be filing a lawsuit.
– Todd must attend a behavioral therapy class. If he does not attend this class, he will be institutionalized for 6 months.
– The incident occurred after Todd graduated, but we have decided not to rescind his diploma.

If Todd fails to comply with any of these disciplinary actions, his diploma will be rescinded. The college he has decided to go to will be contacted in this situation, and he will not be eligible to attend.

Sincerely,
WAAC – BSS.