Oregon City School District sued by student after assembly featured video detailing abuse

OREGON CITY, Ore. (KPTV) - A high school student is suing the Oregon City School District, claiming the district failed to protect her after another student confessed during an assembly he had sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.

Court documents state that Oregon City High School held a virtual assembly on Feb. 2 called “Voices,” which featured a video of a male student confessing to sexually assaulting and abusing his partner. According to the school’s website, the assembly was about students and staff submitting personal stories to share with the school in order to make the community aware that students are not alone in their struggles.

FOX 12 does not have access to the video or know why that student confessed.

The video showed only the student’s silhouette, but did not mask or alter his voice. Because of that, court documents state students were able to identify both him and his victim.

A female student, a senior at the high school, is now suing the district for the following:

• Intentional infliction of emotional distress
• Negligent infliction of emotional distress
• Invasion of privacy
• Negligence

Court documents state students warned administrators about the video and asked them not to air it, but said their requests were disregarded and ignored.

Two days after the assembly, parents took the floor at an Oregon City School District board meeting. One parent said she was showed a recording of the assembly and described the details.

“The video shows a blurred out student confessing the assaults of his girlfriend - his ex-girlfriend. How he held her down and assaulted her, how he would hold her captive, how he mentally abused her, and then after they broke up, he spread lies about her all over social media,” one parent said. “He also confessed at the time he was cutting himself, doing drugs, and attempted suicide.”

Parents also demanded accountability from district leaders.

“How can the staff ignore this obvious confessed abuses to another one of its students and not report this to the police or the families involved. Are they not there to protect our children?” the parent asked.

“I am here to call for the immediate resignation or suspension of the staff responsible for approving this video,” another parent said.

The student is seeking $832,000 in damages from the district.

FOX 12 reached out to the school district for comment on the lawsuit. The district responded by saying it can’t comment on current litigation. The district went on to say it “is dedicated to the safe education of its students and will remain committed to providing a safe and positive educational setting. It will continue to evaluate and implement policies and practices necessary to accomplish this goal. Protecting the health and welfare of students remains a top priority for the district.”

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