A prestigious private school in Buckhead failed to protect two former students who were sexually assaulted by another student on campus about three years ago, an Atlanta attorney said Tuesday.
The assailant, who was a juvenile at the time, was later convicted for the assaults at Pace Academy, attorney Tricia “CK” Hoffler said during a virtual press conference. The victims have filed lawsuits against Pace and various employees, including headmasters, deans and counselors, claiming the school failed to provide adequate supervision and keep students safe.
“You certainly don’t want to see them not being held accountable when they put in action a course that led to the devastation of young people," Hoffler said.
Pace, which has an enrollment of 1,115, is on fall break this week. A spokeswoman for the West Paces Ferry Road school was unavailable for comment, according to an email reply.
According to the lawsuits filed in Fulton County State Court, the assaults occurred during a six-month span in 2017 and 2018. Neither the victims, who are now college students, nor the assailant — a former Pace football player — are named in the lawsuits. Both suits request a jury trial and unspecified monetary compensation.
“Jane Doe 1” had been a Pace student since third grade and was also an athlete there. In September 2017, a boy identified as JW forcibly restrained, groped and raped her on campus during school hours, the lawsuit states. The female student reported the assault to a teacher.
In October 2017, JW attempted to sexually assault the girl again on campus by trying to place his hands under her shorts, the lawsuit states. After a third attempted assault in November 2017, the victim reported the incidents to Pace administration, according to the suit.
The school began its own investigation and the girl’s mother contacted Atlanta police.
“JW, although suspended from Pace for a short time, was allowed to come back to Pace as a student,” the lawsuit states. “Due to Pace’s failure to protect plaintiff and her privacy regarding her complaint, plaintiff ultimately withdrew from Pace, albeit the middle of her sophomore year.”
The girl’s mother spoke with Channel 2 Action News in June 2018, but was not identified to protect her daughter’s privacy.
“I’m upset by the fact that they had a duty to her, and they failed her,” the girl’s mother said in the interview. “They failed her miserably.”
At the time of the interview, a school spokeswoman said JW, then 16, was no longer a student there.
“Pace Academy is cooperating with the Atlanta Police Department as they investigate,” the Pace spokeswoman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time.
But by then, allegations involving JW and a second female student had surfaced, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of “Jane Doe 2”.
“In May 2018, JW sexually assaulted plaintiff Jane Doe 2 by placing her into a chokehold and trying to insert his hands in her shorts,” the second lawsuit states.
The following month, Atlanta police charged JW in connection to both assaults, the lawsuit says. Because he was a juvenile at the time, the court records are sealed. Hoffler said JW was convicted at trial for sexually assaulting Jane Doe 1 and pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Jane Doe 2. His sentences aren’t publicly available due to his age at the time.
“There will be no dispute that sexual misconduct occurred or that the children were harmed," Hoffler said in an emailed statement. “That the school chose to allow the assailant to remain at the school after he was accused of sexual assault speaks to the vile nature of the administration and the Board’s decisions in these cases. Pace had notice and must be held accountable for endangering our clients and others.”
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