Texas first-graders 'forced girl, 6, to perform sex act and recorded it on iPad'
A Texas school district is facing intense scrutiny after a six-year-old girl was allegedly forced to perform a sex act on another child while being filmed on an iPad.
The first grade student, six, was allegedly pulled under a table in her classroom and performed the act on another child while a third recorded on April 19 at South Elementary School in Plainview, Texas.
She hit the boy with a poetry book in a bid to stop him, but it went on 'until they let her go,' her older cousin Heather Gonzales claimed.
The little girl sat next to her attackers for the rest of the week before she told her family what had happened - despite the school finding out two days later, her relatives say.
The elementary school teacher, who was in the classroom at the time, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Child Protection Services are also probing the incident.
Gonzales said the family only realized something was wrong when her behavior changed - and have blamed Plainview ISD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez for not doing enough in the aftermath.
Heather Gonzales (pictured), who is the older cousin of the female victim, said that the family only realized something was wrong when her behavior changed. She claims that her cousin was forced to sit next to her alleged abusers for a week after the fact
On Friday, over 200 people protested over the district's handling of the alleged abuse
She revealed on KCBD: 'She's in distress, she's like "my stomach hurts. I just want to lay down."
South Elementary Principal Jennifer Hughey (pictured). People are calling for her to be fired
'You can tell something's wrong with her. So, they said "what's going on? What happened?"'
It was then that the little girl claimed a boy had exposed himself to her while they were in the lunch line. But that was just the beginning of the ordeal, Gonzales said.
The first grader told her family that a student pulled her under a desk and forced her to perform a sex act on him during class a week earlier.
This occurred while a teacher was in the classroom at the time, Gonzales said. The district say the abuse happened 'away from full view of the teacher.'
As the abuse was occurring, another student pulled out a school iPad and recorded the alleged sex act on it.
The video was found a day later by teachers, after they caught students re-watching the abuse on the device. The iPad had a password on it, so was taken to IT to be unlocked, which was when they found the 'inappropriate content.'
The abuse allegedly occurred at South Elementary School in Plainview, Texas
Plainview ISD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez said: 'We hope to find a direction with them forward. Definitely for the young people and how we can help them heal and move forward'
Protesters called for South Elementary Principal Jennifer Hughey and Superintendent H.T. Sanchez (pictured) to be fired
The video allegedly showed the little girl fighting back. Gonzales revealed that her cousin was hitting the boy with her poetry book to get him to stop.
She said: 'She said she was hitting him with the poetry book.'
When asked at what point the abuse ended, Gonzales said: 'She said, "until they let me go."'
Despite teachers and the district knowing about the situation, Gonzales said her little cousin was forced to sit next to the alleged abuser for another week. She sat on a table full of boys in the classroom.
Gonzales added: 'So, you mean to tell me abuse has been happening for a week and a half and these kids are still at the same desk.
'My cousin is still at a desk with all boys, having to see her abusers every day.'
Raquel Medina, the victim's aunt, added: 'I believe strongly that [the school] should be held accountable.
'We’re fighting for justice. If it were their child, they’d want the same thing.'
She told EverythingLubbock.com: 'People are taking sides and it’s not about sides, it’s about the wellbeing of the kids. I think as a parent, we should want the same for every kid. My kid is safe, your kid is safe – they should be safe together.'
According to a statement, the district informed the parents who were directly involved, but one family was told three days later because they allegedly could not be reached.
Plainview ISD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez said: 'We hope to find a direction with them forward. Definitely for the young people and how we can help them heal and move forward.'
On Friday, over 200 people protested over the district's handling of the abuse. Many came with placards with messages reading: 'We will not be silenced.'
Protesters claimed the district should have been more transparent from the moment that the video was discovered on the school iPad.
They also called for South Elementary Principal Jennifer Hughey and Superintendent H.T. Sanchez to be fired.
Meanwhile, the victim's family still have not seen the video - as the district claims there is nothing to see.
Source: Daily Mail
