A large group of Texas parents were seen protesting outside of the administrative offices of the Plainview Independent School District, demanding answers from authorities over allegations that first-grade students forced a six-year-old girl to perform a sex act in the classroom. The incident took place at the South Elementary School in Plainview, Texas.
According to the Plainview Herald, the parents of the girl received a phone call about the incident last month. School officials informed her mother that an inappropriate video was found on an iPad given to students. However, the officials did not tell her what was on the video.
Girl Forced to Perform Sex Act While She Tried to Fight Back
After the phone call, she spoke to her daughter, who told her that boys in her class forced her to perform a sexual act while they filmed it with the iPad.
The child said that a boy had exposed himself to her in the lunch line at school. Shealso said that a student pulled her under a desk and forced her to perform a sex act against her will during class more than a week before.
The incident was allegedly recorded by another student on a school iPad with the video showing the young girl doing her best to fight back.
Authorities Found the Video After Students Accidentally Locked it
In a statement, the school said that the teacher was in the classroom working with other students at the time of the incident. The next day, the teacher discovered that students had locked one of the iPads with a password and filed a work order to have it unlocked. Once the device was unlocked, school officials discovered the video.
The school said that they notified authorities immediately and reached out to the parents of the students involved. The teacher has since been placed on administrative leave amid the investigation.
Parents are frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation and are demanding answers to know what the school is doing to keep their children safe.
"A six-year-old was exposed to things that even adults would have a hard time overcoming. This is trauma at its worst, and it is a trickle-down effect because it affects everyone around them," a parent at the protest told the Plainview Herald.
School District Cancels School Amid Threats Over Sexual Assault Allegations
Meanwhile, school officials stressed the importance of keeping information about the investigation under wraps. "Respecting their privacy is of the utmost importance, and while the investigation is ongoing, we are limited in what we can share with the public. However, we do feel it is important to share what is allowable as CPS and law enforcement work through the investigation," the district said in a statement.
The district canceled classes Monday due to "threats of violence" in the wake of the sexual assault allegations and the mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas as a step of "caution."
"As we continue to receive threats and as there was a mass shooting in Allen Texas, PISD will cancel school Monday throughout the district in an abundance of caution," said the district on its website Sunday.
The district is accused of failing to properly communicate with parents after first graders at South Elementary School reportedly performed sex acts on one another and recorded it on a school iPad while a teacher was in the room.
"Due to misinformation regarding a matter under investigation, we continue to receive threats of violence that are extremely concerning," said PISD. "Our police chief has submitted all of the screenshots to the FBI, DPS, and other relevant law enforcement agencies. We will remain in communication and advise families when we will reconvene classes."
