Georgia mom slams middle school for not expelling the boy who sexually harassed her daughter and other students

A Georgia mother blew the whistle a public school after a male student wasn’t disciplined for sexually harassing multiple students, including her daughter.

Heidi Price’s daughter attends Youth Middle School in Walton County School District (WCSD). On Sept. 12, Price told the police that her daughter had been groped and threatened with further harassment by a male student.

But the school reportedly did little to prevent assaults from happening again.

“A male student sexually assaulted my 13-year-old daughter on multiple occasions,” Price told local media. “At least three other female students were assaulted by this same individual and I believe school officials were well aware of the dangerous situation they allowed to exist.”

The boy was initially moved to a different school but will return to Youth Middle after the holidays. 

“I do not think my child should have to be around her assailant,” Price continued. “As a result of these incidents and this unacceptable decision, she has displayed extreme issues of depression, anxiety, PTSD and mental anguish.”  

The mother said WCSD has offered to move her daughter to a different school, but she thinks that approach is backwards. 

“She’s done nothing wrong. Why do I have to pull my child?”  

The male student reportedly excused his actions by alleging the girls made racially charged comments toward him. 

School discipline has become a hot topic since the pandemic as student violence has skyrocketed.  

But left-wing groups – such as the National Education Assocation – refuse to acknowledge that suspending or expelling offenders might make schools safer for students and teachers.   

Instead, they cite the racial disparities in school discipline and say suspending or expelling students worsens their academic prospects. 

They even argue that students’ brains aren’t developed enough to consider the consequences of their actions. 

But these arguments were circulating long before COVID-19.  

The Obama administration tried to reduce discipline in schools in the name of racial equity. The 2014 policy threatened school districts with federal investigations if their data showed a “disparate impact” or higher rates of discipline for students of certain races. 

The Trump administration later repealed the policy in 2018 only to have the Biden administration reinstate it. 

But between 2013 and 2018, national suspension and expulsion rates underwent a few changes.  

Overall, suspension rates went down by 6% and expulsions by 9%. But the rates for white students stayed virtually the same. 

Black students were suspended 10% less but expelled 11% more, and Hispanic students were suspended 12.5% less but expelled 6.6% more. 

On the other hand, other demographics, such as multi-racial or Native American, had increased suspension rates but decreased expulsion rates. 

And while that data seems mixed, the outcomes for students are anything but.  

According to the Department of Education, those years saw a 42% increase in sexual violence. 

Other evidence shows that between 2010 and 2019, sexual violence in schools more than tripled. 

But districts like WCSD remain unwilling to adequately punish sexual offenders, critics of the lax policies say. In response to Price’s allegations, the district released a statement: 

“The Walton County School District is committed to providing safe and orderly learning environments and holds students accountable for actions that violate the Student Code of Conduct.”  

Meanwhile, the Walton County Sherrif’s Office has charged the boy with sexual battery and the case is pending in juvenile court. 

Price thinks school officials need to do a better job of protecting young girls.  

“I would like him removed from Walton County schools,” she said. “I’m not just doing this for my child, but for all the girls involved here. I’m doing this for all of them.”