PLAINVIEW, Texas (CITC) — A community is outraged over a Texas school district's response to what they feel was a case of sexual assault among first-grade students.
Parents allege that a female 6-year-old student in the Plainview Independent School District (Plainview ISD) was recorded on an iPad while being forced to perform a sexual act on a male classmate last month. Once the incident was reported, the video was reviewed with the assistance of local law enforcement and FBI.
Authorities determined that the incident, which lasted 34 seconds, was not sexual assault and instead "mutual inappropriate sexual contact" between "two 6-year-old students." A press release on the findings states there was "no outcry for help or struggle" during the incident.
However, multiple family members of the female student feel differently. Elisa Medina, a cousin, alleges that her family was not notified of the incident until nine days after it occurred.
By that time, Medina says her cousin had already explained that even though she "resisted," she was forced to perform the sexual act "until she got tired."
"These are not signs of mutual consent," Medina told the Plainview ISD school board during its meeting Thursday. "This occurred in the classroom with the teacher present."
At the beginning of the meeting, the school board read a statement calling the incident a "very disheartening, unprecedented situation" that was handled "well within the timeframe" required by the state. Residents accused Plainview ISD of only sharing "smug" responses to the incident designed to "protect the district's own agenda."
Both the female student's mother and grandmother attempted to speak past their allotted public comment time, with the mother being escorted away by security when she did. The grandmother told the school board that Plainview ISD's consistent "misinformation" throughout the investigation was "inappropriate, wrong and disgusting."
"You would be fighting if it was any one of your kids. Any one of them," the grandmother said. "But no, you're not fighting because it's not your child."
"Shame on you all for handling this," another resident added. "Each and every one of you all have children and you have grandkids, and you all sit back there and you all smirk. Remember that y'all's kids were once little."
The Plainview ISD school board did not directly respond to any concerns Thursday, leaving the meeting to shouts of "be their voice."
Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) reached out to Plainview ISD for comment and further details on its investigation but did not receive a response prior to publication. This story will be updated if a response is received.
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