Family plans to sue after 7-year-old non-verbal boy allegedly raped on Indiana school bus
Editor's note: This story discusses sexual assault. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network has a free and confidential sexual assault hotline at 800-656-4673.
The family of a special needs 7-year-old boy is planning to sue an Indiana school corporation after allegations surfaced that their son was repeatedly sexually assaulted on a school bus by an older student.
The Indianapolis-based law firm, Wagner Reese, filed a civil tort claim notice against Jennings County School Corporation on April 29, claiming that the district's 'grossly negligent' actions resulted in permanent injury to the boy and violated his civil rights.
The teen accused in the case is a 15-year-old boy and officials said he is facing 12 charges, including rape. He remains detained in a juvenile facility.
The family's attorneys, Laura Swafford and Jason Reese, alleged that abuse occurred on a district school bus when the non-verbal second-grade student was 'improperly' sat next to a 15-year-old student and left unmonitored by two school employees, according to a news release.
Lawyers say the 7-year-old boy was "helplessly left unmonitored by two school employees who were on the bus and charged with caring for his safety."
Upon reviewing camera footage from inside the bus, it was discovered that the 7-year-old student was sexually assaulted and raped on multiple occasions, according to the lawyer's statement.
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'This nightmare tragedy should never have happened,' Swafford said. 'Like all parents in the community, the boy's family believed the school would protect their young, vulnerable son.'
The North Vernon Police Department is investigating the case along with the Jennings County Juvenile Probation Office, which confirmed that an incident did happen on April 16.
The Jennings County School Corporation said they are reviewing safety protocols and working closely with authorities to address the situation.
"We realize that our community would like detailed information about the event," the statement said. "But at this time, we must make sure that we do not hinder the police investigation."
Superintendent Nicole Johnson said the school corporation is aware of the legal filing connected to the "very concerning incidents" that allegedly occurred on one of their special needs transportation buses, and is responding to the filing through the appropriate legal channels. They are cooperating with an active investigation.
"I want to emphasize, though, that these reports involving students' safety have been heartbreaking and devastating to all of us," Johnson said. "While this incident must still be investigated and resolved through our criminal justice system, we are taking steps to try to better ensure the safety of our students.
Johnson said the school corporation is adding adult supervisors to the special transportation bus in question to monitor student behavior.
They are reducing the number of students on each special transportation bus and seating them individually whenever possible. Students will be grouped with similar-aged peers when individual seating isn't available.
The school corporation is also requiring similar peer-aged seating on general education bus routes and will be using their recorded monitoring system to quickly identify and address inappropriate behavior.
The school district in North Vernon, Indiana, is approximately an hour and a half south of Indianapolis. It serves about 3,800 students from kindergarten through the 12th grade in Jennings County. According to U.S. Census data, the county is home to about 27,000 people.
Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Boy, 7, 'helpless' as he was raped on Indiana school bus, lawyers say
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