School sexual assault claim unfounded, principal says
Gwinnett County school officials said they did not find any evidence to support a claim that a 6-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on two occasions last month inside an elementary school bathroom.
“We have closed the case here and did not find any evidence or support to these claims,” Sycamore Elementary School principal Crystal Cooper Thompson wrote parents on Friday.
Authorities began an investigation after the child and her mother reported the alleged assaults. The girl said the first incident took place on Aug. 21, when a third-grade boy took her into a bathroom and sexually assaulted her, according to a police report. The following day, the girl said two fourth-grade boys took her into the bathroom and assaulted her again, the report said.
The report said the girl’s parents were uncooperative, but authorities continued their investigation. The principal said in her message to parents that “we have actively pursued every piece of information we were given and had nothing to substantiate the allegations.”
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
