School district to investigate reports of sexual harassment among middle school students
Students at Tumwater Middle School claim there is sexual harassment going on between students, and now, the Tumwater School District is hiring an independent investigator to look into those allegations.
Last Friday, dozens of kids protested student-to-student sexual harassment that has allegedly taken place at their school.
'It's like a huge problem,' said one student.
KIRO 7 talked with a mother about what she heard from her daughter, who is an eighth grader at the school.
'That some students were assaulting other students in bathrooms and that there were complaints, and nothing was happening,' said the parent, who wished to remain anonymous.
She said she had no idea about the harassment claims until her daughter told her she wanted to be a part of the protest.
'She wanted to be a part of it because it triggered her – she's had her own personal things happen to her with unwanted attention,' said the mother.
The district says it's initiating a Title IX investigation and, in a statement, added, 'We are following all required procedures and prioritizing student well-being. Any necessary actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.'
'I'm glad that they're gonna look deeper into it – I hope that it does something,' said the mother.
The Tumwater Police Department told KIRO 7 they have investigated previous complaints at the school – but the outside investigation is separate.
If there are new criminal allegations, the department will look into those.
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