Allentown School District Faces Justice for Sex Assaults on Young Students

Allentown School District Faces Justice for Sex Assaults on Young Students

The Allentown, Pa., School District has been accused of failing to protect six- and seven-year-old students from sex assaults by another student in the boys’ bathrooms at Central Elementary School during the 2003–2004 school year. An investigation by the Justice Department revealed that the district knew about each incident but took no action to prevent it.

The Justice Department intervened in a lawsuit filed by several students against the district and conducted an extensive investigation. The department alleged that sexual assaults occurred on at least five separate occasions and that the district failed to adopt and implement adequate and effective sexual harassment policies and procedures.

“The sexual assault of students in elementary schools cannot be tolerated. It must be stopped,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Parents are entitled to know that their children will be safe in school every day.”

Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said, “Protecting our youngest and most vulnerable citizens from sexual assault will always be a top priority.”

The Allentown school district has agreed to take several steps to address the issue, including developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for addressing and preventing sexual harassment in all district schools. The district will also retain an expert consultant to draft and implement a sexual harassment policy and procedures.

The consent decree, which will remain in effect for a minimum of three years, requires the district to provide training to administrators, faculty, staff, students, and parents on sex-based harassment. The district will also select qualified district and school-based equity coordinators to ensure proper implementation of the district’s harassment policies and procedures.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has made enforcing Title IX a top priority. The division seeks thorough protections for Allentown students as required under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based harassment, including the sexual assault of students, in public and other schools that receive federal financial assistance.”

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