The parents of a 10-year-old girl filed a lawsuit against their daughter’s district after the child was sexually assaulted on the school bus, reported Kansas City Star.
The federal lawsuit was filed against Taylorville Community Unit School District #3 and Durham School Services on June 17.
Local news reporters reached out to the district for comments but did not immediately hear back from the district. A spokesperson from school bus contractor Durham School Services said the company cannot comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit reportedly stems from an alleged sexual assault that took place during the 2023-2024 school year between students at Taylorville Junior High School.
According to the news report, in late January 2024, a 10-year-old girl with ADHD and autism was experiencing severe and pervasive bullying by a boy on board the bus and at a bus stop.
During a one-week period, the boy sat next to the girl on the school bus and repeatedly sexually assaulted her on their way home from school, the lawsuit said. The girl was corned as she was assaulted.
The complaint claims the boy told the girl that he would hurt her and her family if she told anyone about the incident. The boy also allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times off the bus near a community center. The girl reportedly told a librarian at the center what happened, and her teacher was notified.
According to the lawsuit, the girl’s parents filed a police report, demanded protection from school officials and “insisted” the district to keep the boy away from their daughter. The district responded by placing the boy on a different school bus with younger children.
The complaint says the district took no measures whatsoever to prevent the boy from having access to the girl at or near the school bus stop.
After the alleged assault, the girl’s parents were told several times by community members that the boy had a prior history of engaging in acts of sexual improprieties on other younger children, according to the lawsuit via the article.
The lawsuit reportedly accuses the district of failing to notify all teachers of the safety plan, failing to get 30 days of bus footage after the assaults, failing to provide adequate safety protocols at and around the bus stops and on the bus, and failing to follow the order of protection issues on Feb. 2, 2024, which prohibited the boy from accessing the girl’s school.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
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