State Senator Steve McClure has filed a bill that would expel any student who commits sexual assault on a school bus or on school grounds.
McClure said in a press conference on Thursday he was shocked to find out that a student who committed sexual assault on a bus in the Taylorville School district was allowed to return to class: “Did you realize, because I didn’t, that right now, if a student brings a pair of brass knuckles to class, they are automatically expelled for a year but if you sexually assault a student at school there is not automatic expulsion for a year?”
Fox 32 News reports that the victim’s mother, Springfield teacher Ashley Peden, repeatedly sought legal protection to keep her child safe but the older student was allowed to return. WAND-TV reports that Peden received an order of protection for her daughter, which was then sent to the school’s principal. According to Peden, administrators created a safety plan in hopes to avoid the students coming in contact with each other. The boy could only remain in the 8th grade hall and he would have to use a different school bus, traveling with K-4th grade students. Buses would then arrive at different times since they used the same bus stop. Peden said this plan was only shared with the bus company, her daughter’s teacher, and office staff. Yet, there was no mention of the sexual assault. After multiple meetings over three weeks with the school and law enforcement, the boy would be sent to an alternative school. However, Peden got a call a year later that the boy was returning to the school and that her daughter would be forced to take the K-4th grade bus. After another set of meetings and court orders, the boy was forced back to the alternative school. It’s then that Peden said she reached out to local lawmakers to seek a change in school guidance.
State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer, who is crafting parent legislation in the House, says that schools need a directive on how to handle these situations: “As a father of a freshman in high school and a 7th grader, I want to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else, and that there is proper guidance on what happens should this happen again.”
McClure says he may have uncovered a troubling trend of keeping sexual violence quiet in Illinois schools because the climate in the state has teachers afraid of punishing students: “I’m finding that many people are concerned that there are incidents taking place where schools are not reporting to the parents what’s happening and, in fact, they are trying to sweep it under the rug in some cases.”
McClure says he’s received support from state Democrats for the bill, which would expel the offending student automatically for at least one year. McClure said he doesn’t classify the bill as a penalty enhancement but a safety enhancement, and it is his hope that the offending student will go to an alternative learning center and get the treatment needed to get them on a better path.