North Smithfield administrators are accused of bullying students who were sexually abused

PROVIDENCE – A former North Smithfield student is accusing former school administrators of failing to protect her from a sexual assault by an older student.

The student says she was bullied and harassed by teachers after reporting the crime.

The studentidentified as CP, claims she was sexually assaulted in 2017 when she was 14 years old by an 18-year-old male student who had been involved in a previous assault.

According to the complaintSchool administrators disciplined the male student for the previous assault by banning him from playing on the football team but allowing him to remain on school property without supervision.

The lament names as defendant:

The city
Former Headmaster Timothy McGee
Vice-Director Steven Boss as defendant

It states that the attack occurred on November 6, 2017 during school hours in a toilet, the same place where the boy had previously been attacked.

After the attack

The lawsuit alleges that Boss yelled at and shamed the student after she reported the assault, threatened to show her parents video footage from the time of the assault, and implied that she welcomed the attack.

McGee, the principal, told the student’s parents about the attack. The parents then reported the assault to North Smithfield police, which resulted in the male student being arrested and charged with first-degree child abuse.

The lawsuit says the school, Boss and McGee failed to notify the state Department of Children, Youth and Families of the allegations, as required by state law.

The male student later admitted third-degree sexual assault and was sentenced to five years probation with probation and house arrest. He was ordered not to have contact with the teen and to register as a sex offender. He stopped attending school.

McGee, who will retire in 2022, and Boss, who news outlets said resigned last year, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Going Deeper: Abuse and Bullying After the Assault

After the incident, Superintendent Michael St. Jean sent an email to the school community about the assault and arrest of the male student. This sparked speculation about who was involved, the lawsuit says.

That email led to CP being bullied, harassed and cyberbullied by other students on school grounds, through text messages and on social media, the lawsuit says.

The teachers became involved by questioning her about the allegations and her character, and the lawsuit alleges they revealed confidential information about the attack that exacerbated the bullying.

The lawsuit said a teacher even outed her as a victim on an 11th grade school trip, saying, “CP is a nice girl, but she just made a bad decision.” Another teacher banned CP from using her classroom that morning because the teacher was embarrassed to be associated with CP, according to the lawsuit

“Long-lasting damage and humiliation”

CP’s parents repeatedly reported the alleged bullying and abuse allegations to Boss and the school, but the lawsuit says the matter continued without intervention from the administration.

In 2018, police were contacted about the alleged bullying and abuse, the lawsuit says.

CP suffered severe and permanent harm and humiliation, the lawsuit says, and after the assault she was not given academic support, inclusion in her special education plan, or emotional support, despite suffering severe trauma.

According to the lawsuit, CP retired from North Smithfield and completed high school at Woonsocket Career and Technical Center.

Title IX and civil rights claims

The lawsuit accuses the city and the school of:

Violation of CP’s right to equal protection
Creating a dangerous environment by allowing the male student to remain on school property.

The city and the chief are also accused of:

Violation of CP’s First Amendment rights to report the attack
The hostile school environment could not be remedied, which is a violation of Title IX
By creating an abusive and hostile environment, CP was denied equal access to educational opportunities

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