Lawsuit alleges Fairfax County Public Schools failed to help sexual assault victim
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (ABC7) — A Fairfax County teen is suing the school district, claiming it didn't do enough after she was sexually assaulted by a classmate.
The 16-year-old gave ABC7 News an exclusive copy of her college admission essay in which she wrote "after my assault, I was broken, angry, scared, and vulnerable... I did not feel safe in my own school."
Public Justice attorney Adele Kimmel says the district was already put on notice in 2014 after it broke the federal education law that deals with sexual harassment.
"[The school system] is more concerned about its own image and its own reputation that it is about student safety," said Kimmel. "They were supposed to make clear sexual harassment policies and procedures and make sure the procedures were clear to all families and students."
The accuser says the attack happened in the back of a bus last March on an Oakton High School band trip to Indiana.
Kimmel claims school leaders ignored reports of the attack on the trip and then interrogated the girl back at the school, which the students parents were not immediately told about.
The lawsuit even claims a district employee told the girl "nothing would happen [if] you try to go to court."
ABC7's Tim Barber asked Kimmel why the girl and her family didn't immediately go to the police following the incident.
"As you could probably imagine, this girl was so shocked and traumatized that a member of her own band had sexually assaulted her that she didn't know what to do," said Kimmel.
Fairfax County Public Schools released the following statement to ABC7 News on Monday in relation to the lawsuit:
"The lawsuit is currently under review. As a general matter, FCPS takes all allegations of Title IX violations seriously, investigates those allegations and takes action where appropriate, including referrals to law enforcement for possible criminal prosecution. These procedures are outlined in FCPS regulations. Due to the legal issues concerning student privacy and personnel we cannot provide further details or comment on the allegations contained in the lawsuit."
