SUDBURY, MA (WHDH) — Many students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School walked out of class on Monday to protest the school’s handling of an alleged sexual assault that occurred on campus in 2013.
Students, angry with the school’s actions, protested the treatment of a former student who claims she was sexually assaulted by two male classmates during a football game.
The alleged assault didn’t come to light until last week. The victim, then 15, has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district, Superintendent Bella Wong and other administrators. The complaint accuses school officials of “failing to discipline the perpetrators” and causing the girl “emotional distress.”
“I hate to say it, but I think Bella probably needs to step down,” a shocked parent told 7News.
The complaint says school officials “disciplined and stigmatized” the victim by “forcing her to sit apart from her classmates,” causing feelings of “shame and ridicule.” The school district also insisted the girl “attend a lower-quality therapeutic school in another town while the perpetrators were allowed to remain at Lincoln-Sudbury,” according to the complaint.
As a result, the girl was “forced to attend a private school and at great personal cost and expense,” the complaint stated. The incident apparently caused her to suffer “severe depression and self-harm,” which led to a hospital stay.
Students gathered at a sports field to hold a moment of silence and give speeches.
The victim is seeking substantial damages, according to the complaint.
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