HollyMatkinVolusia County, FL – An Atlantic High School freshman was suspended from school for five days after she reported that she was sexually assaulted on school grounds, her mother said.
The incident occurred in October, 2017, when the unnamed girl and her boyfriend snuck away during lunch, Karla Ray with WFTV reported.
The girl told investigators and school officials that the boy forced a sex act on her while they were at the school campus, after another girl made a similar claim about the same boy, police said.
The boy told police that the encounters were consensual.
“She didn’t want to say anything, because she thought because they were dating, nothing was going to happen,” the victim’s mother explained.
Two days after she reported the alleged sexual assault, the school suspended the girl for a period of five days due to “sexual contact on campus,” according to paperwork her mother received from the school.
“I can’t believe they would punish a child for reporting they were sexually assaulted while at the school,” the mother said, adding that she wants the suspension removed from her daughter’s academic records.
“She did what she could, she tried to stop him, and she’s being punished for it,” she said.
The Volusia County Public School District issued a statement regarding the incident and suspensions, but would not release details due to confidentiality requirements.
“School officials gained knowledge of this allegation through a third party who did not report it as an assault. It had occurred at least a month prior to being reported. DCF and law enforcement were appropriately notified by school officials. There were multiple violations of the student code of conduct by all students involved in this incident, which were separate from the law enforcement issue. Due to student confidentiality, the law does not allow us to release details,” the district’s statement read.
Nine incidents of sexual offenses have been reported on the Atlantic High School campus during the past two school years, WFTV reported.
Investigation into the sexual assault claim is ongoing.