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BELVEDERE, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha family is suing the school district after they say that their 8-year-old daughter was assaulted by three boys on a Belvedere Elementary playground two years ago.
The Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/1vEwyCt ) reports that the Omaha Public Schools, the superintendent, Belvedere Principal Christina Windsor, teacher's aide Lynn Wray and another unidentified aide are named as defendants in the suit brought by the family earlier this month.
According to the lawsuit, the third-grade girl was chased and brought down to the ground by three 8-year-old boys during recess. The three of them held her down, covered her mouth and restrained her while one of them straddled her and started to unbutton her shirt. The girl's nose was bloodied during the struggle.
Wray noticed the incident when several students caused a commotion while coming to the girl's aid. Windsor, the school principal, called a class meeting where all the students, including the victim and the boys, discussed what happened. The principal suspended the boys for five days.
The girl's parents claim that the school waited five hours before notifying them about what had happened, and they did not call the police. The victim's mother called the police herself, and the father drove to the school to speak with the principal. The suit claims that during the meeting, Windsor asked the father to speak with one of the boys' mother because she was upset that her son was suspended.
According to the suit, Windsor admitted to the victim's mother the next day that one aide was not enough to supervise fifty students, and that there had been issues with third-grade boys acting inappropriately.
The family is seeking damages for injury, mental suffering and medical and mental health expenses.
OPS spokesman Todd Andrews said, "While we generally don't comment on pending or threatened litigation, we would note that the Board of Education has been steadfast in its commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all our students. Allegations set forth in lawsuits are framed by the plaintiff's lawyer and aren't always reflective of what actually happened."
The boys have been arrested and charged with attempted sexual assault. They have been enrolled in the juvenile assessment system, and are scheduled to undergo evaluations and receive behavioral help.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
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