'Be There No Mistake, My Daughter Was Raped:' Mother Of H-F Student

FLOSSMOOR, IL — The mother of a Homewood-Flossmoor student who alleges she was sexually assaulted by another student Monday, Oct. 31 says the school failed her daughter.

Flossmoor police told Patch a male student was taken into custody in the incident, then later released to his father as an investigation into the incident continues.

On Wednesday, the girl's mother disagreed with the district's characterization of the incident.

"The District publicly characterized this as an allegation of assault," she said in a statement released by her attorney Stephanie White. "Be there no mistake, my daughter was sexually assaulted and raped during her theater class."

The mother's statement goes on to say that the incident lasted for 20 minutes, at a time when the students were supposed to be supervised.

"During that time, she was crying," the statement reads. "No one came to her assistance. No staff or professional educator did anything to protect her from this horrific, life-changing event.

"Problems of this nature have continued to plague Homewood-Flossmoor Community School District 233. It has happened again."

The mother's statement goes on to allege that the school waited "for over an hour" to notify the teen's mother, and "left the teen sitting in a room for nearly four hours." The family also allegedly waited an hour after arrival before the teen was released to them.

Flossmoor police were called to the school Monday afternoon, after the female student told officials the alleged assault had taken place earlier that morning, on school grounds. Detectives are working closely with the families and school administrators during this investigation, police said, and will conduct personal interviews with each student and any potential witnesses.

Homewood-Flossmoor District 233 previously said they immediately reported the incident to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which is protocol.

"The first step to correcting the ongoing problems of this nature in District 233 is to acknowledge the problem," the mother said. "The problem is sexual assault and harassment of students at the school and the professional educators’ responsibility to prevent it. Either you choose to be part of the problem or part of the solution."

The woman also called on the district to "publicly acknowledge that my daughter was sexually assaulted and raped while she was on their premises during one of their classes, and that they must properly define this problem to become part of the solution. Our children need to be properly supervised and protected by professional educators."

District 233 responded to the mother's statement Wednesday afternoon, saying, "unfortunately, not all of the information shared at the press conference held by one of the student’s attorneys this afternoon is accurate."

Director of Communications and Community Engagement Carla Edrey said the district is "required to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of matters relating to the students we serve. This is a responsibility that we take seriously.

"We can confirm that the school district reviewed the steps taken on Monday, October 31, 2022, when the situation came to light," Erdey wrote. "We can assure our community that HF staff members responded immediately and that all students involved, including their parents and guardians, were treated with compassion and respect by school staff at all times.

Erdey said the school contacted police and the parents or guardians of the students involved "as soon as we were informed of the allegation."

Erdey added that staff followed all school and legal protocols, and that staff members are trained to respond to any crisis situation. The school has also implemented "supportive measures for the students involved," she said, adding that "there has been little or no disruption to the school day for our students."

The district held a forum Tuesday after school, with approximately 85 students attending, Erdey told Patch. The students broke into small groups led by social workers, school counselors and school psychologists. She said key issues raised by students included relationships with school staff to build a sense of safety; safety measures, rules, and enforcement; education and awareness, and student voice.