A mother is suing the school district as well as the principal of Marrington Middle School of the Arts, James Spencer. She alleges that school officials failed to stop a boy from sexually assaulting her 12-year-old daughter at the school.
“This is basically a real extreme bullying case,” stated Gregg Meyers, a lawyer for the girl’s family, who recently spoke to the Post & Courier. “It’s beyond bullying to actual sexual assault.”
According to court records, the lawsuit was officially filed on August 7, 2014 and refers to the girl’s parent as “Mother Doe 203” and her daughter as “Jane Does 203.” Since the school is located on the Naval Weapons Station this case will be heard in federal court in Charleston.
The lawsuit claims the mother met with the school’s principal and several other school leaders in February 2013 about protecting her daughter and other students from a particular male student. Despite that meeting, the principal reportedly took no action to protect the woman’s daughter and that particular male student remained in the same class with her until the end of the school year.
Court documents argue that as a result of the continued sexual battering of the female student, her academic performance “deteriorated” and she also suffered “injuries” as a result of the boy’s battering.
“District officials were grossly negligent in failing to protect the Plaintiff student from the male student know to sexually batter female students,” the lawsuit states. “Officials of the district were unresponsive to the complaints of Mother Doe.”
At this time, school district leaders have remained tight-lipped on the lawsuit.
To read the lawsuit in its entirety, click here.
