Students To Walk Out At Homewood-Flossmoor Over Sex Assault Response

FLOSSMOOR, IL — Students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School are expected to protest again Thursday afternoon, following the school's response to an incident of alleged sexual assault reported by a female student earlier this week.

The walk-out will take place outside the school's south building at 1 p.m., according to a statement by the attorney of one of the students involved.

The protest follows a student's allegation that she was sexually assaulted Monday morning by a male student during a breakout session in her theater class. 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.

The girl's mother spoke out, issuing a statement via the family's attorney Wednesday openly disagreeing with the district's characterization of the incident, stating, "Be there no mistake, my daughter was raped."

The school held a forum Tuesday afternoon following the assault allegation, with students breaking into small groups led by social workers, school counselors and school psychologists. 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. A group of 40 students also staged a walkout Tuesday.

"We value student voice," wrote Director of Communications and Community Engagement Carla Edrey in a statement to families Wednesday.

School officials were aware of plans for the second walk-out Thursday afternoon.

"We will work to ensure that all students are safe and respected," Erdey wrote. "We will be working in cooperation with the Flossmoor Police Department to maintain student safety, provide traffic control and assure students remain on school property."

Erdey told Patch that media was not allowed to be on campus during the walkout.