JENNINGS CO. – A law firm representing a 7-year-old boy and his family has issued a statement alleging gross negligence and civil rights violations by the Jennings County School Corporation. This follows the alleged multiple rapes of the child in April on a school bus by a 15-year-old male.
Wagner Reese attorney Laura Stafford stated that the young student was “helplessly left unmonitored by two school employees who were on the bus and charged with caring for his safety.” The law firm has filed a tort claim, asserting that the school bus video footage shows the alleged assaults occurring multiple times without intervention from the school staff present.
“This nightmare tragedy should never have happened. How could both the bus driver and the additional bus monitor aide not notice anything? Like all parents in the community, the boy’s family believed the school would protect their young, vulnerable son,” said Stafford. She added, “The family entrusted the school to protect their son by monitoring activity on the bus. The school system breached this trust and clearly failed in its responsibility.”
The victim’s family hopes this incident will lead to preventative measures in the future and accountability for schools regarding the safety and protection of students, especially those with disabilities.
The North Vernon Police Department has confirmed that the 15-year-old suspect is currently being held in a juvenile detention center and has been charged with one count of rape.
