Posted on 10/17/2002 4:23:24 AM PDT by fone
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One day after school, she later recalled, the boy came home with a broken belt. Another time, his underpants were on backward and soiled.
On April 21, the grandmother said, she overheard the boy ask his 8-year-old brother to "get the two fifth-graders that are hurting me." When she questioned the boy, he told a horrific story.
Over the previous month, two older classmates - one 10, the other 11 - repeatedly raped him in the school lavatory. They yanked down his pants and, as one boy held him, the other sodomized him, the little boy said.
The boy later told police that the two older boys raped him about 10 times. When he tried to tell a teacher about the attacks, she rebuffed him: "No tattle-tales," she said, according to the police report.
Yesterday, the boy and his mother filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Cleveland Board of Education, accusing school administrators of negligence for failing to provide security adequate to prevent the rapes.
"To think that this sort of thing could go on in a school is unbelievable," said Maple Heights attorney David Pomerantz, who represents the boy and his mother. "It's unconscionable that this happened to him, but it's equally unconscionable that a school would allow it to happen. Obviously, they should be supervising kids better in bathrooms."
Reports of the sexual attacks first came to light on April 22, when the boy's grandmother took him to Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and a doctor there called police.
Detectives from the police Sex Crimes Unit investigated, and the boy's accused attackers were charged with rape in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. They are awaiting trial.
Pomerantz said a case worker from Children and Family Services substantiated the boy's allegations. An agency spokesman, however, said there was no record of the case being investigated or reported.
Schools spokesman Dan Minnich said neither of the boys accused in the case currently attends Cleveland schools. One has been placed at the Berea Children's Home; Minnich didn't know the other's whereabouts. As soon as the allegations were raised, he said, the district launched an internal investigation with Cleveland police, and the boys were removed from Charles Dickens.
Ward 3 City Councilman Zachary Reed, who represents the Mount Pleasant neighborhood around the school, said the allegations are shocking, but shouldn't detract from the area's revitalization.
"Anything can happen in a big-league city," he said. "We need to ensure that nothing like this ever happens in a school here ever again."
I know what you mean about the sick feeling. I probably didn't handle it like the modern moms would.. I remember telling him to never do that or his teeth would fall out and if anyone ever did it to him his pee pee would fall off. I probably scared him for life but that's what moms did then. Scare the hell out of them. He is a grown man now with teen agers so I guess I didn't do such a bad job raising him. Three it too young to be having to talk to a kid about this kind of stuff. I just wanted to let people know, this is nothing new. It's been going on a very long time but we hear more about it because it ends up in the courts and the media.
#1 - Kick or punch them between the legs
#2 - If you can't kick or punch them grab, squeeze and twist very hard what they had between their legs
#3 - If they attempt to stick something in your mouth bite really hard while grabbing and twisting other parts.
#4 - No matter what happens, tell mom and grandma, let them tell dad and grandpa.
I'll let the reason for #4 to your imagination.
Maybe you're onto something. Since it's out of the closet and into the open now are we expected to accept it?
Not me.
Refreshing comment from a lawyer!
Agreed. Short of that, the TV cameras should be following her around 24/7 getting her to answer the question why she did nothing.
My guess remains the union will stand behind her no matter what. It's a warm body in the classroom, they have a hard time getting teachers dontchaknow. Boo-freaking-hoo. Expose the witch! Let's see her face!
What an awful thing to suggest...
Everyone knows that a concrete block should be included with the rapists in the sack and the sack should then be thrown into a deep river or lake!
'Off a cliff' indeed!
What an awful thing to suggest...
Everyone knows that someone who would ignore a little boy's pleas for help in a situation like this should be stood up at a post with thier hands lashed behind them with barbed wire and then cut apart with automatic weapon fire!
'Hung' indeed!
You are correct! After all, they may survive a cliffdive!
I don't care either. When they go to trial, they absolutely should be tried as adults. In this case a big resounding YES to be tried as adults. No worry that they will turn into rotten criminals, they ALREADY ARE !
Someone PLEASE tell me this teacher is now walking an employment line!
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