BENTON CITY -- Allegations that the principal of Kiona-Benton City High School threatened to cut off a student's rosary attracted a large crowd to Monday's school board meeting.

More than 100 people attended the meeting, forcing officials to move it from the district office to the high school auditorium.

Wayne Barrett, the principal, had been accused of unfolding a pocket knife in front of a student on the first day of school and threatening to cut off the string of beads around the student's neck, according to police reports.

Rosaries, a Catholic religious symbol, are being used as identifiers by gangs, officials have said.

Neither the district nor police identified the student last week, but a classmate had told the Herald that the alleged victim in the incident was Roel Corral, 18.

Superintendent Rom Castilleja last week said that the district had taken "appropriate action" regarding Barrett, but declined to specify what had been done, citing personnel privacy rules.

That apparently was not enough information for Ki-Be parents and teachers, who crowded into Monday's meeting.

After about an hour of regular scheduled business, during which the crowd and the board seemed to grow impatient with each other, mostly over some board members' reluctance to use microphones in the large auditorium, it was time for public comments.

First up was a young woman who identified herself as Corral's sister. She asked the board what consequences Barrett would face for the alleged incident.

This reminded board Chairman Dan Raap that the board had a prepared statement to make.

He said the incident had been investigated, that there were no charges against Barrett and that personnel action had been taken. The matter "will be closed," he said.

Raap and Castilleja then reminded the crowd that the district could not comment on specifics of a personnel matter.

"Why are we here then?" several in the crowd shouted in response.

It appeared that many had come to find out what disciplinary action would be taken against Barrett. Raap said again that no criminal charges were filed against Barrett.

Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller on Friday told the Herald that his office had only just started to investigate the matter and would begin looking into possible charges this week.

A man in the crowd then asked why the principal was back at school while an active criminal investigation was ongoing against him.

Raucous applause followed that question.

Others said that they'd had "run-ins" with Barrett before and found him "intimidating."

Board member Jill Renz-Whitman offered a personal apology to the student's family. She said the matter was handled appropriately. "It is not being glossed over," she said. "It's being looked at."

This prompted several in the audience to ask whether the matter was closed, as officials said minutes before, or being looked at.

It was being looked at, Castilleja said.

A couple of commenters reminded the crowd not to call for the principal's resignation or firing based on a police report that didn't confirm exactly what happened on that first day of school.

Their comments were met with scattered applause.

-- Jacques Von Lunen: 582-1402; jvonlunen@tricityherald.com