PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal lawsuit against a charter school in Chester claims school officials did not act appropriately when they were informed about sexual assault allegations made by a kindergartner. The school denies it handled the incident improperly.
Last October, a kindergartener at Chester Community Charter School said a boy in her class smacked on her buttocks. According to the lawsuit, things escalated from there.
The following day, the same boy followed the girl to the bathroom, turned off the lights, pulled down her pants and again smacked her buttocks. The teacher said she did not see the incident happen.
Court filings say the girl told her teacher and school administrators, but they all failed to act. They also did not tell the girl’s mother.
When the mother finally did learn of the incidents from her daughter, she confronted the school. The suit says the school still did not investigate the claims, nor did it make any changes to the children’s classroom or offer the girl any counseling.
The mother has since pulled her daughter from Chester Community Charter, but she said the girl still has nightmares, anxiety, depression and trauma.
In a reply to the lawsuit, Chester Community Charter denied any wrongdoing.
Calls to the school’s lawyer from KYW Newsradio were not immediately returned.