CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Chesterfield mom called for accountability after she said her 11-year-old autistic son was sexually assaulted by another student on two separate occasions at Bailey Bridge Middle School.
She said that no one from the school notified her.
Chesterfield County Police confirmed they were investigating after getting a report Wednesday that a child was touched inappropriately by another child on September 23 and 24.
The Chesterfield mom, who didn't want to be identified, said she had made that report after the school failed to do so.
The Chesterfield mom said she first heard about the alleged assaults on Monday when she picked her son up from the middle school.
"He said, 'Mom I went to the Principal’s office,' and I said, 'Well that’s odd.' You know, he’s a really good kid. He was diagnosed with autism so he’s on the spectrum, doesn’t get in trouble, doesn’t bother anyone," She said. "So, when he told me, he said, 'Mom, a boy touched my butt.' And I said, 'What do you mean a boy touched your butt?'... And I'm thinking, well it was maybe just a kid kidding around. But it was way more than that."
After making several calls to the school last Monday, she said she eventually was able to speak to an administrator who told her that her son had reported he was sexually assaulted twice.
"And she went on to say that my son was on the track during P.E. and health, and he was walking by himself, not bothering anyone. There was a group of boys that came up behind him, and another boy decided to leave the group and stick his finger up my son’s rectum, as a joke. They thought it was a prank," she said.
One day later, on Friday, she said her son reported a similar scenario playing out in the middle school bathroom by the same perpetrator and claims to have told a teacher following that incident.
But at that point, his mom said she had no idea anything was going on.
"So, to make a long story short, he went Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday without the medical attention that he needed and the emotional support from a sexual assault counselor. He went all those days. No one called me," she said.
An excerpt from the Chesterfield County Public Schools Standard for Student Conduct and Attendance said incidents involving sexual assault 'will result in referral to law enforcement officials in accordance with Va. Code § 22.1-279.3:1. The principal or his/her designee also shall notify the parent or legal guardian of any student involved in such an incident regardless of whether disciplinary action is taken against such student or the nature of the disciplinary action.'
But the Chesterfield mom who spoke with CBS 6 said that's not what happened in this scenario.
"Chesterfield County School District, they dropped the ball. They didn't keep my son safe," she said. "They have to communicate clearly with parents. You cannot leave it up to an 11-year-old to say, 'I was sexually assaulted,' because they’re not going to say it. They don't have the words to communicate such trauma. So, it’s up to the school, teachers, principals, counselors."
More than one week after the alleged assault, she said her son hadn't been back to school.
"He's really been depressed, just really down. Because it's just embarrassing," she said.
When asked if he would ever return to the school, she said she would need school administrators to reach out and have a clearly defined course of action to keep her son safe.
For now, she warned parents to be vigilant and hoped to prevent another child from getting hurt.
"I really hope that justice is served for my son. And that it won’t happen to another child," she said.
CBS 6 reached out to Chesterfield Schools about the incident, asking the district for information on what happened, what consequences the alleged perpetrator could face, and if the school followed policies in reporting this incident.
A school spokesperson did not answer those questions but sent the following statement:
"The school continues to work with Chesterfield Police regarding this investigation."
