Buffalo Public Schools responds to allegations of not reporting sexual assaults, abuse

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Buffalo Public Schools responded to accusations on Saturday made by a Buffalo police detective on a podcast that the school intentionally does not report sexual assaults and abuse.

Detective Richard Hy took to the Unsubscribe Podcast, which is based out of Texas and has around 679,000 subscribers on YouTube, to make the accusations. The video clip was posted on Saturday and has since amassed almost 400,000 views, 50,000 likes and over 7,000 comments as of late Sunday morning.

While on the podcast, Hy alleged that BPS intentionally did not report sexual assaults between students, deleted a video of an attempted abduction of two young children from school grounds, and failed to make reports of a student who was being physically abused by her father multiple times.

BPS said in a statement posted online that it is aware of the allegations and is prepared to "vigorously address these untruths."

"The district has prioritized the safety and security of its students and staff every day," the district said. "BPS is the second largest district in NYS with some 60 schools, 30,000 students, and 7,000 staff and any transgressions that may happen are handled swiftly with seriousness, integrity, fairness, and empathy."

Hy accused city attorneys of "obstructing police" from receiving information from the schools and BPS' legal representatives of "intentionally not responding" to requestions for information regarding the assaults and abuse.

BPS elementary school principal Dr. Greg. Johnson was previously placed on administrative leave back in July 2023 after being accused of abusing a child who attended the school over the course of six months. The family had said that the student was sexually abused and bullied by Johnson.

Hy, who was formerly known for his "Angry Cop" videos on social media, has been suspended multiple times and investigated by the Buffalo Police Department 23 times, according to his disciplinary records WIVB News 4 obtained through a Freedom of Information law request in 2022.

The reasons listed for the investigations were his social media activity, use of force complaints and violent off-duty conduct.

One of the reports stated that Hy and an off-duty West Seneca officer were watching kids make a rap video in September 2016. Hy then headbutted one of the children in the face because he refused to tell Hy his cell phone password, according to the records.

In September 2020, a video recording showed Hy punching a Black man and squatting on his chest for several minutes until officers arrived. Hy accused the man of swinging his skateboard at him first. Multiple witnesses had said that the man, who appeared to have mental health conditions, made derogatory statements toward Hy. Internal affairs then exonerated Hy a year later.

One of the reasons Hy listed in the podcast for BPS allegedly not reporting the assaults and abuse was a fear from employees of losing their jobs and "stepping out of line."

BPS said in its statement that it "maintains a close and professional relationship" with the BPD to "ensure that safety is a priority."

News 4 reached out to Hy and the City of Buffalo for comment and is waiting to hear back.