A public school district in northern Virginia reportedly withheld information from parents about a violent sexual assault that occurred in a high school, according to FOIA documents obtained by Independent Women’s Forum (IWF).
Alexandria city police confirmed to IWF that police arrested a 14-year-old suspect in early December for “aggravated sexua[l] battery, rape, and forcible sodomy.” The incident took place in October 2021 at Minnie Howard High School, according to National Review.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) did not inform parents or students about the incident, though the district’s board members, superintendent, mayor, and the Alexandria police were informed, according to FOIA documents.
🚨BREAKING: Rape, forcible sodomy, and aggregated sexual battery of a child in Alexandria VA by multiple assailants covered up by Alexandria public school @ACPSk12 officials in order to advance anti-police agenda. https://t.co/Wg04O9CyCd
— Julie Gunlock (@JGunlock) March 18, 2022
On Oct. 6, ACPS Superintendent Gregory Hutching emailed the board’s nine members regarding “Potential Sexual Assault.”
“FYI there is a potential sexual assault of a student by other students this afternoon at [Minnie Howard],” the email reportedly read. “The student has been taken to the hospital and [Alexandria Police Department] is working through the investigation. No more details at this time.”
One parent, Molly Kaiman, said she felt “misled,” “angry,” and “scared” that the district withheld information from parents about a sexual assault that reportedly left the victim hospitalized.
ACPS’ Chief of School and Community Relations Julia Burgos told the Daily Caller that the district is “unable to provide information regarding specifics about students.”
Nearby Loudoun County Public Schools faced reckonings from parents who were upset after the school withheld information about two reported sexual assaults and a physical assault that took place in a high school bathroom. (RELATED: Loudoun County Public Schools Failed To Inform Parents About Bathroom Assault)
Parents were notified via a Loudoun County government incident report instead of the school.