Sexual Assault Of Oakton Student Not Reported As Assault: FCPS

Fairfax County Public Schools officials have pushed back against an Oakton student's claim of sexual assault on a band trip, saying it had not been reported as a sexual assault.

The girl, who recently graduated from Oakton High School, is suing the school district over its response to claims a 17-year-old band member allegedly sexually assaulting her band trip to Indianapolis last March. It alleges the victim—16 at the time—was forced to touch the boy's genitals, and he touched her breasts and put his hand down her pants. The lawsuit claims FCPS violated the Title IX law by how it handled the victim's report.

In a response to the lawsuit, an attorney representing FCPS said it “was not a sexual assault" and that the school district “took meaningful and appropriate action." The response also claims the girl did not try to take her hand away and was not forced to touch the boy's genitals, The Washington Post reported.

The district referred to the incident as a "sexual encounter." While the victim says in the lawsuit the assault left her "shocked, scared, and humiliated," FCPS denies this.

According to the lawsuit, the girl's friends told staff on the trip about it. She claims the staff did not properly help, and back at home FCPS officials discouraged her from reporting to police and warned her about punishment.

FCPS spokesperson John Torre did not comment on the lawsuit to The Post but said the school district "takes all allegations of Title IX violations seriously, investigates those allegations and takes action where appropriate, including referrals to law enforcement for possible criminal prosecution."

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