Horry County preschool allowed child to sexually assault another student, suit alleges

Parents of a 9-year-old girl are suing an Horry County preschool after they say staff didn’t do anything to prevent her from being sexually assaulted by another child.

The parents, who were not named, said their daughter told them she was locked in a bathroom and assaulted September 2020 at Palmetto Preschool & Learning Center, LLC on Village Center Boulevard. She was 6.

The alleged assaults caused their daughter to have suicidal thoughts and suffer from depression and anxiety, the lawsuit says. She also began counseling after she was removed from the school.

“We take all of our students safety very seriously, and that’s our first priority,” a school spokeswoman said Monday. “And so, obviously if there are allegations that are being made, we will thoroughly investigate those.”

She said she can’t comment specifically about the pending litigation.

The lawsuit, which was filed April 18, said the parents reported the incident to the school. The girl’s teacher said she would investigate and keep the students apart.

Because of the teacher’s assurances, the plaintiffs allowed their daughter to return to school. But she was allegedly assaulted two days later, according to the lawsuit.

The parents then told a school administrator, who said it would be impossible to keep the students separated because of a staffing shortage.

That’s when the parents transferred their daughter out of the school.

The family moved to the area and enrolled their daughters in the summer of 2020.

The parents are seeking unspecified damages, including medical expenses and attorney’s fees.

This story was updated April 25, 2023, to provide a statement from the preschool involved in the lawsuit.

This story was originally published April 23, 2023 at 2:08 PM.