Update: The Saline County Sheriff's Office says
no rape charges will be filed. The incident is still under investigation and other charges could be filed as a result of the investigation.
BAUXITE, AR – A mother of a 13-year-old says her daughter was raped on the campus of Bauxite Middle School. She is upset because, according to her, no action has been taken to protect her child.
The mother, named Terry, says she reported the alleged rape to law enforcement. The allegations are being investigated by the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. At this time no charges have been filed in the case and no one has been arrested. Citing the ongoing investigation and the age of those involved, investigators would not comment about the case.
Jared Williams, the Bauxite School District Superintendent, says the district is cooperating fully with the investigation, but would not comment specifically about the incident. “The safety and security of students is the most important charge we have on a daily basis,” said Williams.
Williams says his schools are safe, and Bauxite Middle School is equipped with an extensive surveillance system that monitors halls, entrances, and stairwells inside Bauxite Middle School. “We monitor student activities, student movement, traffic flow, with as many resources as we possible have,” said Williams.
But Terry says the school is unsafe for her daughter. Two weeks after the alleged rape, she says the boy is still at the school, attending classes. “I'm trying to protect her as much as I can, but I can't tell her she's safe because he's still out there,” says Terry.
Another mother, Teresa, says her daughter is also afraid to go to school for fear she’ll also be attacked. “You send your kids to school so they can learn and get ready for college and grow up to be adults, and instead they're dealing with adult problems and not being allowed to be kids.”
Teresa says her daughter is having a very hard time dealing with her friend’s rape. “She's terrified to go to school. She begs me not to make her go to school because she sees the boy and is scared.”
Terry says, “Something's got to be done with that school for what he did. They should have never let that happen. They're supposed to protect my child at school,” says Terry.
Terry says even though she reported what happened to police, she doesn’t understand why the boy has not been put in jail. “That's not right. It's been hush hush, and it shouldn't be hush hush. That's not right.”
Teresa's daughter has other allegations as well, that students are passing around alcohol. “Little girls are being raped, and little girls are passing out alcohol. Where's the supervision?”
Both parents say even with the school’s high tech camera system in place, not everything is caught on tape.
