When parents send their children to school, they trust that their kids will be safe in their classrooms and with their teachers. Parents also trust that Florida school districts will immediately address any safety concerns when issues arise.
One Florida teenager raped by her math teacher five years ago admitted that the past few years have been difficult. After finally reaching a settlement in the rape case, the victim spoke at a press conference saying, “It’s not gonna make it go away, but at least we do get some closure.” The woman was only 15 years old when the sexual assault occurred. She was alone in a Blanche Ely High classroom with her math teacher, someone she had trusted.
The teen reported the incident with the support from her family. She said it was difficult to come forward, and even more difficult to move on after the attack. Throughout the past five years she has encountered her ups and downs and has wished that she could just forget that the entire thing ever happened.
The teen and her family pushed for justice in the case by filing a lawsuit against the Broward County School Board. The family’s attorney discovered that two other female students had complained about the math teacher’s inappropriate behavior. Despite complaining to school officials, the man was allowed to continue teaching at Blanche Ely High. “What I was told in depositions by school officials is that this was a he-said-she-said situation and that they typically believe the teacher and not the student,” said the family’s attorney.
Since the sexual assault, the math teacher has been convicted and is serving 15 years in prison. Last week, the school board sided with the victim and voted unanimously to approve a $1 million settlement in the rape case.
Sexual assault is not only a violation of one’s body. Sexual assault also injures a victim emotionally and mentally. Although the past five years have been tough for the victim, she says that she wants to move forward and is hoping to go to law school.
Source:WSVN.com: “Teen steps forward after rape by teacher,” 18 May 2011