A teenager who claims she was raped at her suburban Kansas City middle school says her mother was told by an administrator that the girl was to blame for the attack.
The lawsuit filed this month says an assistant principal at Bernard Campbell Middle School in Lee's Summit told the girl's mother that her daughter got 'herself raped' and accused her of disobeying the school's policy against public displays of affection.
The suit says the assault happened December 2017 in a boys' bathroom, and that the attacker had been suspended after being accused of sexually assaulting another student at school weeks earlier.
A teenager claims she was blamed by her school for allegedly being raped in a boy's bathroom
The girl, referred to in the suit as 'Mary Doe', filed the litigation with her mother and described the situation as 'reprehensible.' The lawsuit's claims included negligence and violations of the Missouri Human Rights Act.
The school district, in a statement, disputed many of the allegations in the lawsuit.
A guidance counselor, according to the suit, insisted the girl's symptoms were not the result of a rape, but instead were in her head, the Kansas City Star reported.
RELATED ARTICLES
Rape charges are dropped against two former New York cops... 
Teenage girl, 15, who was raped and impregnated by a police...
Share this article
ShareThe girl was told to 'face her fears,' as school officials attempted to 'force her' to return to the scene of her alleged rape, the lawsuit said. She couldn't even return to Spanish class, because her alleged attacker's locker was nearby.
Jonathan Soper, one of the attorneys representing the girl, told the Kansas City Star that the district's handling of his client's alleged assault was 'wholly inappropriate.'
He said blaming a victim, putting them on trial, illustrates why so many assaults go unreported.
'I think it was terrible,' Soper said. 'It not only discourages other victims from coming out, but it has a negative impact and it only exacerbates the damages and trauma of coping with an assault like that.'
Lee Summit Police, according to the lawsuit, were not notified by the school about the attack
Lee's Summit police, according to the suit, were not notified by school officials of the alleged rape. The incident has since been investigated, but prosecutors declined to file charges, police said.
An attorney for the Lee's Summit R-7 School District says he can't comment on pending litigation.
A district spokeswoman declined to comment to protect the teen's privacy.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWKEc4SUbm5qZ4Sasq95wKWjnp%2BVqHqzrc%2Bem2arka7Abr%2FCoaaopF2XuaK5xJ1koqxencGuuA%3D%3D