Posted on 04/16/2005 11:21:56 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The girl was led by the arm behind a stage curtain in the auditorium. There, witnesses said her lip was bloodied and she was sexually assaulted by a group of boys, an attack videotaped by one student and watched by more than a dozen others who came running as word spread.
Within minutes, the developmentally disabled girl reported the alleged assault to a special education teacher, who said the girl "looked dazed and confused and was crying."
But principals didn't immediately notify police for fear of media attention, in violation of state law. When the girl's father arrived, he was asked not to call 911. He ignored the request and called police.
Now administrators at Mifflin High School face the possibility of being charged along with students in the alleged March 9 assault at the school, which has a history of violence.
"Even if you are following the common sense measure, absolutely, none of this should have happened," Gene Harris, district superintendent, said Friday.
The district said it will fire Principal Regina Crenshaw and has suspended three assistant principals. Police have not said who will face charges, but a city attorney said school officials could be prosecuted along with the alleged assailants.
Witness statements to school investigators paint a picture of a slipshod response to the alleged assault, which came on the heels of other problems. Earlier in the day, administrators had to deal with an assault on a Somali student and a report that a student had a concealed weapon.
Just after noon, the girl said four boys grabbed her by the arm. Students said one assailant punched the girl in the face and she dropped to her knees. One of the boys told her, "If you scream I'll have all my boys punch you."
She was forced to perform oral sex on at least two boys, according to statements from school investigators.
A student who had a camera for a school project videotaped the alleged assault, illuminated by light from a cell phone. Another witness said at least 15 people were in a room that looked into the auditorium because they had heard what was happening.
When some students eventually went to look for an adult, the boys involved in the alleged assault fled.
Police have not said how many boys may be charged, but plan to give their evidence to prosecutors early this coming week. Potential charges could include delinquency counts of rape and pandering obscenity, said spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio.
The boys, who have not been publicly identified, are not expected to return to class this school year, district spokesman Andrew Marcelain said.
Whether school administrators will be charged is unclear. State law requires officials to immediately report cases of abuse to law enforcement or face up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine, said City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr.
However, he said officials would be charged only if someone filed a complaint. So far, no complaint has been filed. An attorney for the girl's father would not say if he planned to file one.
The school also is investigating the possibility of earlier assaults against the girl. Lisa Upshaw-Haider, the special education teacher, said boys previously had oral sex with the girl on a bus and tried to pull down her pants at school.
After the alleged assault was reported, the school was locked down while administrators frantically tried to find the videotape and identify suspects. The school's police officer was away for training that day.
"I could only imagine what we might be facing if that tape made it out of the building to later show up on the Internet or who knows where," Assistant Principal Vincent Clarno told investigators.
Clarno said he summoned the principal, who was meeting with two assistant principals and district officials about schedules and curriculum. Crenshaw remained in the meeting, Clarno said.
Crenshaw declined to comment. A message was left at a phone listing for Clarno.
Assistant Principal Rick Watson told investigators he reviewed the tape with other school officials and concluded there had been no coercion.
When the girl's father arrived, Watson said he advised him to call the non-emergency police line, not 911, because "our fear was that a news channel might tape his daughter and cause her further mental trauma."
School district policy warns that calling police might draw media attention.
It also says that although administrators must sometimes make judgment calls when deciding whether to notify authorities, "the committing of assaults do not normally warrant 'judgment calls.'"
The girl's father referred questions to his lawyer, Gary Shroyer, who declined to comment. Phone numbers could not be found for Watson or Upshaw-Haider.
Last week, school administrators discouraged a reporter from trying to interview students at the school.
Shirley Justice, 64, whose granddaughter attends the school, said administrators who handled the situation should be fired.
"You don't know if your kids are safe," she said.
Every time there is a school shooting calls go out for a national-level solution to the problem. Why are sexual assaults and rapes (including sexual involvement between teachers and students) not raising alarms in congress? Isn't it time to pay attention to how public schools are handling the issue of children and sex? Maybe it's time to try some alternatives - like teaching abstinance or having sensitivity training for the teachers.
Perhaps, but not according to the report.
Clarno said he summoned the principal, who was meeting with two assistant principals and district officials about schedules and curriculum
That would be the case in the real world. I doubt it will be considered such at an urban, liberal-NEA-Democrat controlled Columbus "school".
I wonder if we're going to see a documentary by MM about the daily student violence and staff incompetence that occurs at schools such as this, and how it's perpetuated by organizations such as teachers unions and The National Education Association.
Why are you all laughing?
Now let's hope he files a complaint.
I see:
Failure to report a sexual assault, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, aiding and abetting after the fact, and for the real biggy, conspiracy to commit all of the above.
L
"Better put some ice on that."-- Anonymous
The girl was 'developmentally disabled' and unable to consent to sex in any meaningful way.
Do you think the non-emergency number isn't recorded? Either number would serve the dad equally well in the Ohio case. What the assistant purported to say about the media was in fact a consideration. I'll let you find the other thread and argue with those fine point-splitters about when and when not to use 911. Meanwhile, I'll set my sights on the media coverage.
"Haven't girls been taught, when forced into oral sex, to bite through the offending memeber? That serves three purposes; it stops the assault cold, disables the attacker, and leaves physical evidence of the assault."
Well, since the girl is borderline retarded and was surrounded by 15 boys who threatened to beat her if she didn't comply, I'm not sure she even understood that was an option. And even if she did, putting one rapist out of service doesn't do much good when there are a dozen-plus would-be rapists waiting to come off the bench. One rapist is one thing. Multiple attackers is another.
Remember she wasn´t coerced, just punched in the face.
The physical ed teacher said the girl had been forced to give oral sex to boys on the bus. And she did what about it?
Remember she wasn´t coerced, just punched in the face.
The physical ed teacher said the girl had been forced to give oral sex to boys on the bus. And she did what about it?
That´s special ed teacher not physical ed. sorry about that.
"Lock'em up............."
On what basis?
They are just being chicken sh*t edu-crats doing what edu-crats do best - at any crisis, run around like a chicken with its head cut off.
They tried their best to cover up for their lack of management skills, reptilian lack of response to the victim's situation, and displayed a remarkable lack of even the most basic elements of common decency.
In short, they were just being typical edu-crats.
Instead of being charged, I hereby modestly suggest a far more cruel punishment. Ban them from any education or other government job for life. Imagine an edu-crat having to actually go out into the real world and earn a living on the economy. ;-)
Please note that I make a clear distinction betwen teachers and school board members and edu-crats. Were either teachers or school board members to display such abysmal management skills, the parents and voters would have them fired immediately.
1. This is a physical assault and a gang rape upon a "special needs" CHILD.
2. It has happened to this CHILD before, also while in the care of the school department.
3. This CHILD was sold out by the school principal, in a nasty game of CYA.
HANG EVERY ADULT INVOLVED IN THIS CASE.
(sorry to shout, but this is some kind of new low, even for a poor public school district.)
Uhhhh - have you considered that after witnessing the bungled, amateur surgery, the rest of those "would-be rapists waiting to come off the bench" might well decide that they reaaaally needed to get back to class instead?
Just wondering.
I wonder if some of the school killers weren't unmercifully bullied and also prevented by the system in responding any other way ?
Fistfights were a poor sort of safety valve, but better than none;schools usually are too lazy to investigate, and so place blame equally on the bullied and the bully. A bully finally stopped bothering me in high school when he found his nose clenched between my fingers and discovered it is difficult to throw a punch when your opponent is twisting said feature and threatening to hand it to you! Or as one of the tough guys told me" you gotta let them know they're gonna get hurt even if they win;they don't wanna get hurt so they'll leave you alone".
And hang the rapists.
My words exactly. That was what disturbed me most about this.
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