INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - A student leader is speaking out after five of his classmates got in big trouble for a sex video made at school that was shared on social media.
Eyewitness News had the only camera at an assembly Thursday afternoon at Carpe Diem, which was filled with tough love from school leaders. That assembly at Carpe Diem gave students the chance to learn more about the consequences of bad choices and the students are speaking up saying they know better.
During the rap session, school leaders put everything on the table including holding students responsible for their choices.
"We wanted to make sure that we were setting up the energy in our school where young people are not afraid to make mistakes, they know that mistakes happen," said Bwana Bwana Clements, the Cultural & Social Services Director for the northwest Indianapolis charter school.
The sex video incident is under investigation by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Tuesday morning, a brave student blew the whistle about a 16-year-old boy and a female classmate who recorded a sex video between classes. It happened in a secluded area on the second floor of the school. Three other students are in trouble for their role in the incident. The video was shared among some students.
A school leader, who also spoke candidly during the rap session, called police and CPS and eventually suspended five students. Part of the assembly included social media warnings since the students even shared the video on Snapchat before getting caught.
School leaders say it's best to talk to about what happened in an open dialogue.
"We can't brush it under the rug. We have to be honest and transparent about those mistakes and then do better," Clements said.
Isaiah Wingo serves as the junior class president for Carpe Diem Innovative School. Wingo sent Crimebeat Reporter Steve Jefferson a letter on behalf of the student body. The letter outlined their determination not to allow the sex video incident tarnish the school.
"We don't want people to look away from us," Wingo said. "We are a good school. We are family. We are caring."
Wingo says the sex video embarrassed him and his classmates. They want the school's reputation upheld because most students know better. Many of the students have had conversations at home about the consequences of posting sexual content on social media sites.
"My parents have told me multiple times that sexting is a crime. It's child pornography. So my message to other kids is not to do it. It will follow you," Wingo said.
Wingo and his classmates hope for the best for the five students at their school who got suspended for the sex video. Their final school discipline is likely not to happen until after IMPD wraps up its investigation on the case.