The family and their lawyer claim the 13-year-old special needs student was sexually assaulted by an eighth-grade male student at Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy toward the end of May.
According to the parents of the special needs student, the mother went to the school to complain that her son was being bullied in physical education class two months before the alleged sexual assault occurred.
The parents claim the eighth-grade male student lured their son to an area near bleachers on campus and sexually assaulted him.
The parents and their lawyer, who is also the lead lawyer in the /*Miramonte Elementary*/ sex abuse scandal, say school administration ignored them and "dropped the ball." The lawyer contends the district has not taken enough steps to keep similar incidents from happening again.
"As a mother, you're devastated when you get a phone call saying that your child has been sexually assaulted," said the boy's mother, Toyan, crying. "Any person with a child knows your No. 1 priority is to protect them. And God forbid you drop them off at school, thinking that they are safe, and they come home a different kid because somebody out there thought it was their God-given right to do something to them that wasn't supposed to be done."
LAUSD lawyer David Holmquist addressed the accusations in a statement to Eyewitness News Monday. He said that upon learning about the alleged incident, the school documented and notified authorities. He also said student-on-student conduct is taken seriously.
"Although we cannot comment on the specific allegations or any potential lawsuit in this case, we are committed to ensuring student safety at all times," Holmquist's statement read. "Our principals, teachers and other school site employees do everything humanly possible to ensure student safety and are consistently trying to make school sites as safe as possible."
The LAPD is also investigating the incident.
