DALLAS, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A graduate of Dallas High School was seen in a video online falsely claiming he lost his brother and best friend in a school shooting in Dallas in 2017.
"A week later, I had to go back to that school, and that was the worst part. Cause you had to walk past that spot where I saw my best friend, where I had to pretend it was all normal. It was not normal," Polachek said.
While speaking at a Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action rally earlier this year in Frankfort, Kentucky, Calvin Polachek, a 2020 graduate of Dallas High School, claimed he was a survivor of a deadly shooting at the school that took the lives of 11 people. That shooting never happened.
The February rally took place in the state capital, where gun safety advocates demanded changes in Kentucky's gun laws.
That video of Polachek aired on WDKY and appeared on their website. The story has since been removed.
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28/22 News reached out to the organization that hosted the rally, Everytown for Gun Safety.
Calvin Polachek is not an active volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, and we are deeply disappointed that someone would exploit the tragic, lived experience of many to use our platform to share a story that was not true. Calvin reached out to our Kentucky chapter, shamefully lied to our volunteers, and shared a tragic story that we later learned was not true. This is an affront to the countless survivors of gun violence who show extraordinary courage every day by reliving their darkest moments in service of the fight to end our country’s gun violence crisis. We are revisiting our guidance to our grassroots networks in an effort to ensure this never happens again.
Sarah Boland Heine, senior director of communications with Everytown for Gun Safety
Once the video circulated, the school district released a statement confirming there was no shooting at the Dallas School District.
"It's disappointing. It's disheartening," Dallas School District Superintendent Doctor Thomas Duffy stated.
Dr. Duffy says he was made aware of the video and its allegations on Tuesday. He says the district prides itself on safety and security, and that these claims were troubling.
"And I know that that disappointment has been shared not only with our administration, our faculty, our staff, but really the entire Dallas community, was really displeased to put it mildly when this information came out," Dr. Duffy explained.
The District is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in 2017.Thankfully, that never happened.The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate.Our District Solicitor is supporting an investigation and communication regarding the circulating clip.
Dallas School District
Dallas School District Website
Congressman Rob Bresnahan issued the following statement in regards to the incident:
I’m outraged by the false reports of a shooting in Dallas. Spreading this kind of lie is dangerous, disrespectful to real victims, and a slap in the face to families who’ve lived through actual tragedy. Shame on those who pushed this false story, and shame on those who ran it without checking facts. Thank you to our first responders who work to keep us safe every day.
Congressman Rob Bresnahan
28/22 News reached out to Calvin Polachek, who is now a grad student in Kentucky, but so far have not heard back.
