Update: Hawthorne Academy Diann Weston was suspended along with assistant principal by the school superintendent, as reported by The Charlotte Observer.
When a teenage girl reported the sexual assault on her at her North Carolina school’s restroom for female students, the school suspended her, leading to outrage from concerned students.
The Gateway Pundit reported on Sunday (November 07, 2021) that a 15-year-old student at the Hawthorne Academy in Charlotte, NC, was suspended by the school after she reported the sexual assault on her by a male classmate in the girls’ restroom. But when she reported the incident to the school admin, they accused her of filing a false report and suspended her. On tops of it all, the school admin took no action against the accused male student, who remains unnamed.
The school has reportedly not punished the alleged attacker in any way.
The girl’s mother was cited telling media, “They are making her feel like she is being punished for coming forward.”
Charges against Student Accused of Sexual Assault
The story says that the male student accused of sexual assault was charged by the police with two counts of sexual battery. The accused reportedly confessed of the crime. However, it didn’t stop the school from punishing the girl for reporting the assault. Fox News interviewed the female student about the incident while respecting her anonymity due to her age and nature of the crime.
Students Protest Suspension of the Victim
More than a hundred students of the Hawthorne Academy reportedly walked out of classes and gathered outside to stage their protest against the school’s suspension of the victim.
Not only was the victim suspended, but she was also forced to sign a non-retaliation agreement against her attacker and must attend a “sexual assault is preventable” class before returning to school.
The story added that when the school administrators reacted to the protest against victim-blaming by students by quickly announcing a “town hall.”
Nick Ochsner of WBTV tweeted a picture of the students’ protest outside the school.
Students are taking turns speaking. Many can be heard asking why the school disciplined a student for reporting sexual assault. Some calling it victim blaming. Lots of applause from students in the crowd pic.twitter.com/kcQLtsvxO3
– Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) November 3, 2021
Last month, former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, was charged with a sex crime after he had resigned in disgrace from his office due to multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.