Reported rape raises safety issue

The board hopes a task force will address parents' and officials' concerns.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- The mother of a 15-year-old girl who told authorities she was sexually assaulted at Liberty High School says the girl is coping with the situation, but parents want to make sure such acts cannot occur in the district.
School board members have agreed to implement a task force to bridge the gap between school administration and the community, and to incorporate suggestions from parents into school operations.
Schools Superintendent Larry Prince said the task force will help restructure student expectations in regard to conduct in the class and on school grounds.
Township police were called to the high school just before noon Feb. 3. According to police reports, the 15-year-old girl told officers she was pulled into a second-floor restroom and sexually assaulted by two students.
According to police reports, Bryant Lamont Spence, 16, of Trumbull Court and Andre L. Davis, 15, of Eastlawn Street were arrested and taken to the Trumbull County Family Court Center in Warren. Reports show the Trumbull County prosecutor has charged both boys with rape. Neither is attending classes at the high school.
Coping
The mother of the female student, who asked not to be named, said her daughter is coping with the situation as well as can be expected and is receiving support from friends and family. Her daughter returned to school Thursday and has received threats from students who are friends with the boys, but she is continuing with classes, the mother said.
The mother said she hopes school officials implement more stringent policies in watching students at the school during "down times" and when students use hall passes to leave classrooms. This should never happen to another student, she said.
Prince said school officials have implemented additional policies such as granting hall passes to students during class only for "extenuating circumstances." A letter addressed to parents said more changes may be coming.
"The reporting of the incident has prompted a comprehensive examination of all school procedures and policies regarding hall and bathroom monitoring during the school day. The district will act promptly if additional safety and security measures are deemed necessary as a result of our review and investigation," the letter states.
Won't discuss case
Some concerned parents wanted to discuss the alleged rape, but school board members said legal counsel had instructed them not to discuss the matter.
Sam Barker, parent of two students in the school system, said one of the boys accused in the sexual assault had also harassed his child in school. That issue was not addressed to his satisfaction when brought to the attention of school officials, he said.
Board members said the proposed task force will work toward addressing concerns such as that voiced by Barker. The task force will be headed up by board member Alyssa Lenhoff-Dann.
Open enrollment policy
Many parents in the district think that, in conjunction with a task force, eliminating open enrollment would help ease some of the school district's problems. A show of hands from the dozens of parents at Tuesday's board meeting showed overwhelming support for ending the policy.
According to information given to parents Tuesday, the board may be taking steps to end the policy.
"Based on the district's financial forecast, and with recommendations from the superintendent and treasurer, the board will endeavor to eliminate open enrollment for the 2006-07 school year. Siblings of current open enrollment students will be admitted," the information said.
In 2004, the district lost eight pupils to open enrollment and about 17 to community schools for a total loss of $149,000 to the district. In 2006 the district lost 93 pupils, but brought in 111 under open enrollment for a total gain of $12,500 to the district.
No matter what changes are implemented in the school, the mother of the girl who reported the assault said those changes did not come in time to save her daughter from a traumatic experience. She said the entire community needs to take notice.
The mother said she thinks the boys may have come from good homes with concerned parents, but are simply products of their culture.
"Everything is so sexually oriented that the kids' minds are just warped with sex," she said. "It's in the movies, the videos and the music. We have to be mindful of what kids are listening to."
jgoodwin@vindy.com