Special needs student sexually assaulted on Horry Schools bus, lawsuit alleges
The family of a special needs student is suing Horry County Schools after their daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted on a school bus.
The parents, listed as John and Jane Doe in the complaint, filed the negligence suit Wednesday against the district and bus driver for the incident they say occurred in November 2019.
Another female student left their own seat on the bus to sit next to their daughter, listed as Jane Doe 2, and removed her own shirt and bra before sexually assaulting Doe 2 “while in full view of the bus driver’s rearview mirror,” according to the complaint.
After several minutes, the bus driver saw in the mirror that the assailant wasn’t sitting in her own seat and ordered her to return to her seat, which she did while naked from the waist up, the suit states. The bus driver didn’t stop the bus or assist Doe 2, it adds.
Doe 2 behaved differently that day during school before ultimately disclosing to school administrators that she had been sexually assaulted, which the bus driver hadn’t reported at that point, according to the suit.
Even after the assault was reported and video evidence confirmed the incident, the complaint states HCS forced Doe 2 to remain in the same classroom with the student who assaulted her.
Lisa Bourcier, HCS spokeswoman, said the district does not comment on matters related to pending litigation.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
