Lawsuit says school knew student sexually assaulted 2 girls before he raped freshman
A family is suing an Illinois school and several employees after they say their 14-year-old daughter was raped in an empty stairwell by a student with a history of sexual assault, according to a lawsuit.
The 14-year-old girl was a freshman at Lockport Township High School District 205. McClatchy News reached out to the school for comment, but officials said they do not comment on pending litigation.
Assault after basketball game
According to the lawsuit, the girl was attending a basketball game at another school in a neighboring district. She rode the school bus to the event with other students, including the male sophomore student accused of attacking her.
The boy was a junior varsity basketball player for Lockport, the lawsuit said. Once the J.V. basketball game ended, the boy and the girl walked out of the gym together, alone.
The boy “coerced” the girl to go into an empty stairwell with him, where he is accused of forcibly raping her, the lawsuit said.
When the girl cried out for help, the boy told her to “shut the (expletive) up,” according to the court documents.
“Despite repeated cries for help, no District 205 personnel came to (the girl’s) aid or made any effort to learn of her whereabouts. (The boy) stopped sexually assaulting (the girl) only after hearing the approaching footsteps of a Victor J. Andrew employee in a nearby hallway,” the lawsuit said.
When the employee saw the boy pulling his pants up, they called security and the boy was taken into custody by law enforcement, according to the court documents.
After the attack, the boy ultimately transferred schools without being formally expelled, the lawsuit said.
Previous reports of sexual assault
The family’s attorneys say this was not the first time the boy had been accused of sexual assault.
In the fall of 2021, a 14-year-old student reported that the boy touched her inappropriately in a stairwell, according to the lawsuit. School officials and law enforcement were reportedly notified and investigated the incident.
“As a result of this first instance of alleged sexual misconduct, (the boy) received minimal, if any, discipline and was not subjected to additional supervision or monitoring from District 205,” the lawsuit said.
Then, on March 10, 2022, another female student reported that the boy “violently sexually assaulted” her, according to the lawsuit.
Law enforcement investigated this incident as well, court documents said, and school officials were also notified.
“Despite knowledge of two prior sexual attacks, District 205 permitted (the boy) to continue living an otherwise normal high school experience. He attended classes, participated in school sports, and was permitted to regularly interact with vulnerable female students,” the lawsuit said.
The school is accused of taking no preventative measures to ensure the boy would not harm any other students. He also continued to play sports for the school, despite the allegations, the lawsuit said.
“After two separate incidents of reported sexual assaults committed by (the boy), District 205 gave no warning to female students regarding his sexually violent and aggressive behavior,” the court document said.
The Tinley Park Police Department arrested the boy on six charges including criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, WGN reported.
The girl’s family is asking for more than $50,000 in the lawsuit.
Lockport is about 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
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