Former North Smithfield student says teachers harassed her after sexual assault, files suit

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 alleges she was then subjected to bullying by teachers and harassment after she reported the crime.

The student, identified as C.P., alleges she was sexually assaulted in 2017 at age 14 by an 18-year-old male student who had been implicated in a previous assault.

According to the complaint, school leaders disciplined the male student for the previous assault by barring him from playing on the football team but allowed him to remain on school grounds without supervision.

The lawsuit names as defendants:

• The town

• Former high school Principal Timothy McGee

• Vice Principal Steven Boss as defendants

It says the assault occurred on Nov. 6, 2017, in a bathroom during school hours, the same location of the boy’s previous assault.

After the assault

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

McGee, the principal, told the student's parents about the assault. The parents then reported the assault to North Smithfield police, which led to the male student being arrested and charged with first degree child molestation.

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

The male student later admitted to third-degree sexual assault and was sentenced to a five-year suspended term with probation and home confinement. He was ordered not to contact the teenager and to register as a sex offender. He no longer attended the school.

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

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 the male student's arrest. This sparked speculation about who was involved, the lawsuit claims.

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

Teachers joined in by questioning her about the allegations and her character, and the lawsuit alleges they revealed confidential information about the assault that made the bullying worse.

The lawsuit said one teacher even outed her as the victim on an 11th grade field trip, stating “C.P. is a nice girl, but she just made a bad decision." Another teacher banned C.P. from using her classroom during morning time because, the lawsuit alleges, the teacher was embarrassed to be associated with C.P.

'Permanent harm and humiliation'

C.P.'s parents repeatedly reported the alleged bullying and abuse to Boss and the school, but the lawsuit states it continued without the administration intervening.

In 2018, police were contacted over the alleged bullying and and abuse, the suit says,

C.P. suffered severe and permanent harm and humiliation, the lawsuit says, and after the assault she was not supported academically or accommodated in her special education plan, nor was she provided with emotional support despite experiencing a significant trauma.

According to the suit, C.P withdrew from North Smithfield and finished high school at Woonsocket Career and Technical Center.

Title IX and civil rights claims

The suit accuses the town and school of:

• Violating C.P.'s right to equal protection

• Creating a dangerous environment by allowing the male student to remain on school grounds.

It also accuses the town and Boss of:

• Violating C.P.'s First Amendment rights to report the assault

• Failed to fix the hostile school environment, in violation of Title IX

• Denied C.P. equal access to educational opportunities by creating an abusive and hostile environment

The suit additionally charges that the town and school violated the Rhode Island Civil Rights Act and being negligent in its duty of care to C.P.

C.P. seeks unspecified damages.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Smithfield student accuses admins of bullying her after assault