The mother of a girl who alleges her daughter was sexually assaulted at Homewood-Flossmoor High School is criticizing how the school handled the allegation and what she calls an ongoing pattern of problems with how complaints are handled at the school.
The 17-year-old girl was attacked Monday morning by a male classmate in the girl’s first-period theater class, the girl’s mother told reporters Wednesday.
The girl had been assigned to an unsupervised breakout room for 20 minutes with the other student, according to the mother, who asked to be referred to as “Jennifer Doe.”
She is angered that the school did not mention the sexual nature of the incident in a letter to parents.
“They’re not addressing that this is an ongoing problem for that district that keeps getting swept under the rug,” the mother said.
Her child is traumatized and will no longer attend the school, she said.
Other students are planning a walkout in response to what they see as inaction by the school leadership to address the alleged ongoing issues of sexual harassment and assault.
Students took part in two other walkouts in March after an alleged instance of sexual harassment, and then an allegation of sexual assault, according to the mother and two attorneys representing her.
Flossmoor police, who said they are investigating Monday’s incident as a “sexual assault,” did not share details about the alleged incidents in March. No charges have been filed in any other investigations into sexual harassment or assault at the school in the last year, Flossmoor Police Chief Tod Kamleiter said in an email.
The mother claims police did not notify her for over an hour after learning of the allegation on Monday. Police left the girl waiting in a room for four hours, the mother claimed. When her family arrived at the school, they waited for 80 minutes to see the girl, the mother said.
In its letter to parents, School District 233 said it could not share details due to the ongoing investigation and confidentiality of the minors.
Flossmoor police said they responded Monday morning to an alleged sexual assault of a female juvenile student. Police said they arrested a male juvenile student and released him to his father after questioning. No charges have been announced.
