The article is about a young girl and her guardian suing an Oregon nonprofit organization, Portland Public Schools, and Multnomah County for $9 million. The lawsuit alleges that the girl was sexually abused by male classmates at school and raped during an after-school program when she was in the third grade. The incidents of nonconsensual sexual touching occurred during school hours, and despite the girl defending herself against one of the male classmates, both she and the attacker were suspended. The lawsuit claims that the school failed to notify law enforcement immediately and conducted an internal investigation without informing the girl’s parents or law enforcement.
According to the lawsuit, the girl was later trapped in a bathroom stall during recess at the after-school program and raped by two male students. The school only learned about the assault when one of the perpetrators’ parents reported it. The lawsuit alleges that the school and after-school program did not adequately train students about appropriate sexual boundaries or how to report abuse. The plaintiff’s father, concerned for his daughter’s safety, enrolled her and her younger brother in another Portland public school, causing them to miss almost a month of schooling.
The lawsuit further claims that Portland Public Schools should have recognized the plaintiff’s vulnerability and taken steps to prevent further sexual assault. It also accuses the school district of making the plaintiff feel that she would be reprimanded for protecting herself against unwanted sexual contact. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the school system for failing to report vulnerabilities to after-school program staff and to train employees to recognize and report child sexual abuse. Multnomah County and Latino Network, who operated the after-school program, are also accused of negligence for not maintaining awareness of students during the program and failing to train employees to recognize child sexual grooming and abuse.
Portland Public Schools responded to the lawsuit by stating that they take their responsibilities as mandatory reporters seriously and follow the law around reporting any instance of possible child abuse and neglect to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Multnomah County declined to comment on the pending litigation, while Latino Network expressed pain over the allegations and stated their commitment to trauma-informed practices. The lawsuit was filed in Circuit Court in Multnomah County on March 20 and is currently under investigation by the involved parties.
