The parents of a 10-year-old girl have filed a lawsuit against the Taylorville School District related to the alleged repeated assault of their daughter by a 14-year-old student.
The lawsuit was filed by a Chicago law firm and contains five counts against both the Taylorville School District and Durham School Services. These include violations of the victim's Title IX rights, her right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment, willful and wanton negligence, and infliction of emotional distress.
Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against School District
Authorities identified the young girl as Jane Doe, whose parents are named in the lawsuit, but they are not being shared because it would identify the teenage victim. The mother said that her daughter was sexually assaulted by an older student over a week between late January and early February 2024.
The incidents were said to have occurred on her daughter's bus and at her bus stop. The court filing alleges that the crimes ranged in severity from fondling to digital penetration and usually happened on the school bus, where the perpetrator would repeatedly corner the teenage girl, according to WREX.
The suit also detailed three separate instances where the perpetrator chased the teenage girl away from a bus stop, held her down forcibly, and covered her mouth while sexually assaulting her.
Furthermore, the victim's parents alleged that the suspect in the case told their daughter that he would harm her and her family if she reported the abuse that was happening to her. They noted that the boy "admitted that he did not even know (her) name when he repeatedly assaulted her."
Sexual Assault of a Student
The suit also identified the victim as a special needs student who is living with autism and ADHD. Cass Casper, the lead attorney on the case, said the incident involves one of the most vulnerable members of society, a young, 10-year-old, special needs girl, Capitol News Illinois.
They added that the victim became confused and distraught by the sexual abuse that was done to her by another student, and she failed to understand what was going on. However, a spokesman for the school district did not reply to requests for comments regarding the issue.
Following the initial allegations, the school district placed the boy in an alternative school but later tried to re-enroll him in Taylorville Junior High School at the start of the current academic year. The lawsuit alleges that the district and Durham School Services had many failures.
These include failure to take appropriate action to protect the couple's daughter from sexual abuse, which caused her to suffer "severe emotional distress and psychological trauma, as per Yahoo News.
