The parents of a student with special needs sued their son's school, in Dyersburg, Tennessee, February, 2024, and alleged the student was subjected to sexual assault and harassment by fellow students while using the restroom facilities.

The parents allege school officials were made aware of the behaviors, and "admitted that a problem existed with the supervision and control of the children in the boys' bathroom at [the school] and in conversation with [the child's parents]."

The school allegedly created a plan to limit the number of students entering the restroom at any one time and to prohibit certain students from being present in the restroom at the same time as the child being harassed and assaulted.

Despite the plan put into place, the parents allege the assaults on their son continued to occur in the restroom, escalating into attempted rape.

Rachel Townsend "Dyersburg City Schools faces multi-million-dollar lawsuit following alleged sexual assault of special needs child," https://www.stategazette.com/story/3053557.html (Sep. 16, 2024).

Commentary and Checklist
 

According to pacer.org, "Although only ten U.S. studies have been conducted on the connection between bullying and developmental disabilities, all of these studies found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers."

Furthermore, only 60 percent of these children report that they are being bullied.

Although the school in the source had a plan to help prevent the bathroom bullying, apparently the plan was not monitored by an adult.  

What should schools know to help prevent bullying behaviors?

• Don't downplay bullying behavior as mere "horseplay."
  • Horseplay does not require forcing or threatening the target to participate
  • Horseplay doesn't require other students to participate
  • Horseplay doesn't involve a "code of silence" to keep the behaviors secret
  • Horseplay is often spontaneous – not planned, not a ritual, not repeated behavior from the past
  • Horseplay does not involve physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or threats
• Investigate every report of bullying.
• Have a policy against bullying and procedures to enforce it.
• Provide training for everyone in the school community. Include definitions and scenarios, including intervention examples.
• Any bullying that includes physical or sexual abuse must be reported immediately to the local law enforcement or to the local child protection agency by any school employee as a mandatory reporter.