Parents and residents fill Sky's the Limit in the village on Thursday.

SILVER CREEK – Stemming from severe allegations regarding an “isolation cell” made against the Silver Creek Central Schools, a large group of parents and residents of the district gathered at Sky’s the Limit in the village to discuss what steps to take.

The allegations stem from Jay Hall, assistant director of elementary programming, who reported to some parents that their children were held in an “isolation cell” in the elementary school. Hall wrote a letter to the Board of Education outlining the allegations, and has since been put on administrative leave. Hall was in attendance at Thursday night’s community meeting, but was not speaking.

“There will come a time when Jay is going to speak out for everyone. He’s going to speak out loud, he’s going to speak out clearly, and he’s going to tell the truth,” said Hall’s attorney, Thomas Eoannou. “But tonight is not that night. Tonight is not Jay’s night. He will not be saying a word.”

Instead, it was the parents’ time to speak. Kristina Kwaizer, Amanda Bailey, and Tiffany Farley each said that their child has been placed in the alleged “isolation room” and each of them shared their side of the story in front of the gathered crowd on Thursday. Kwaizer added allegations that her child was not let out of this room to even eat.

“My son is terrified to go to school. … This should not be happening,” said Kwaizer. “Being barricaded and not let out to have lunch. They need to get a better behavioral plan for the teachers, not just the children.”

While there was a lot of animosity directed toward the school on Thursday night, one overwhelming sentiment is that of support for Hall. One parent dropped off a letter from her student to Hall, and Farley expressed her gratitude to Hall, which was met with a round of applause. Though Hall was not speaking Thursday night, his emotions were still displayed.

“My son is 5 years old, and he’s been in school since he was three,” Farley said. “Recently, he has been putting up a fight not to go to school, and I hadn’t figured it out. I feel horrible that I couldn’t figure out what was going on. He doesn’t even want to leave the house anymore. … It breaks my heart that our kids had to go through this. I’m thankful to Mr. Hall for everything he’s done for our children.”

The individuals in attendance said that they had trouble finding a lawyer to take their case for them, but by the end of the meeting, Eoannou, separate from representing Hall, said that he would begin work on his own private investigation.