The Buffalo Board of Education has released a report from an independent investigator which looked into allegations of poor practices with student safety, following an incident last year at the Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet School.
Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC was commissioned by the Buffalo School Board to investigate claims of poor handling, and allegations of coverups. On Friday, the report was publicly released.
“We spent the next six to seven months looking at the information, gathering records, talking with witnesses and people related to the allegations,” said Jill Yonkers, partner at Rupp Pfalzgraf. “I think in total, we spoke to 66 different people, some of whom we spoke with multiple times to as our investigation went forward.”
In February 2025, 30-year-old Shane Cronin of Illinois was alleged to have entered the school, attempted to abduct two students and physically assaulted an assistant principal.
The Erie County District Attorney charged Cronin with attempted kidnapping, burglary, attempted luring of a child, attempted assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Meanwhile last spring, a Buffalo police detective appearing as a guest on a podcast claimed that Buffalo Public School officials committed obstruction and coverups in multiple incidents, including the one at the Drew Magnet School.
School officials say the independent investigation by Rupp Pfalzgraf identified procedures in need of improvement, but “did not find evidence supporting intentional obstruction or systematic cover-ups,” according to Friday’s statement.
Yonkers, though, doesn’t dismiss the detective’s concerns.
“Unfortunately, there were some people we couldn't speak to, documents we couldn't see as part of an investigation, because we don't have any sort of subpoena power to kind of force those conversations, or to force entities to turn over information,” she explained. “So, some of the allegations he made, concerns he raised, we couldn't fully investigate. But some of them, certainly we did. And I think you'll see in the report that, if you compare it with some of the allegations he made there, there is some validity to what he said and what certainly you know the level of concerns that he raised.”
Parts of the report are redacted, it was explained, to protect student privacy, security information, and other legally protected matters.
School officials encourage the public to review the report.
“The Board urges all community members to review it with an open mind and a commitment to constructive dialogue—focusing on forward-looking recommendations rather than seeking to assign blame,” the spokesperson stated. “Disagreement with any particular findings must not translate into harassment, threats, or intimidation directed at anyone. The path forward requires collaboration, not division, as we work to create the safest possible environment for our students.”
