A lawsuit was filed Monday after a student at a high school in suburban Chicago claimed she was sexually assaulted on campus in October.
According to the lawsuit, on Oct. 31, a female student who is a minor was raped by another student shortly before 9 a.m. during theater class.
Jessica Johnson, the victim’s mother, filed the lawsuit against the Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233 Board of Education on behalf of her daughter.
Johnson told FOX 32 News in October that it took more than an hour for school officials to release her daughter so that a family member could rush her to a nearby hospital.
The victim’s mother also stated that prior to the incident, surveillance footage showed the boy following her into a room.
“The camera is not on the inside; it only captures them walking in. He was attempting to touch her, she claimed. She kept slapping his hands, telling him ‘no, I don’t like you like that. No’. And he grabbed her and slammed her on the floor, raped her, and she was crying while he laughed “Johnson spoke to FOX 32.
Following the incident, the school issued a statement stating that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
Following the sexual assault allegations, students staged a walkout on November 3.
The alleged attack occurred months after hundreds of students walked out of the same school in protest of additional allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Although Illinois law allows victims to proceed anonymously, Johnson and her daughter have chosen to be named in the lawsuit in order “to bring to light the culture of sexual and physical violence and to break the code of silence that has plagued Homewood Flossmoor High School District 233.”
The full complaint can be found below.
Dr. Scott Wakeley, the superintendent, issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
“The school district is aware of the complaint, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Monday. We’re reviewing the allegations with counsel and getting ready to respond. We deny the allegations in the complaint and will mount a strong defense on behalf of the district and its employees.”
Leave a Reply