The mother of an elementary school student filed a lawsuit last week against Verona Public Schools alleging her daughter was sexually assaulted by another student more than 20 times while in first and second grades.
The assaults allegedly occurred from October 2021 through January 2023 in a student bathroom at F.N. Brown Elementary School, according to the suit filed April 22 in Superior Court of Essex County.
The victim was 6 and 7 years old when her male classmate would enter the bathroom and crawl under her stall to molest her, the suit says.
“Your mom isn’t going to be able to help you,” the student allegedly told the girl during one of the alleged attacks.
“The extent of the physical and psychological damage inflicted upon (the victim) cannot be understated,” the suit says.
The district is investigating the allegations, Verona Schools Superintendent Diane DiGiuseppe said Monday.
“The Verona Board of Education has and continues investigating the allegations outlined in the complaint,” DiGiuseppe said. “As this matter is in active litigation, we cannot further comment.”
The lawsuit claims the girl told a teacher about the alleged sexual assaults, but the woman did not believe her and ordered the girl to apologize to the student for accusing him.
After the girl began staring off in the distance, refusing hugs and having emotional outbursts at home, her mother took her to a hospital, where a psychologist determined the girl was showing “clear signs of sexual trauma,” the lawsuit said.
The girl was then removed from F.N. Brown Elementary School out of fear for her emotional and physical well-being, the suit says.
The lawsuit names several school officials, saying they were “deliberately indifferent, reckless, negligent and/or tacitly approved” of the hostile environment.
The suit alleges sexual harassment and gender discrimination, and states the girl has suffered humiliation, stress, anxiety, emotional anguish and dysfunction.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
