I don't understand how they see the Dept. of Education as culpable here. Just because the miscreants attended a public school? Once school is dismissed for the day I don't see how it is responsible for its students behaviour off campus, if they were not playing hookey or something.
I don't get that angle at all.
On the surface, the school might not be culpable. As in any story, a lot of information is not readily available.