OXFORD, Ohio — Police are looking into an alleged sexual assault that took place on a Talawanda School District bus at the end of April.
The district confirmed Oxford police started investigating claims of sexual assault between two Talawanda Middle School students on April 28. An officer states in a police report obtained by WCPO that the principal alerted them of an incident between two seventh graders on a school bus.
Days before the alleged incident, a former Talawanda Middle School student sued the district, claiming it has been ignoring "systemic child sexual abuse" for years. The student claims her teacher sexually assaulted her in December 2021.
"My first reaction (to the new claims) was — and I hate to even say it, was equal parts just being despondent yet unsurprised," said Austin Lipuma, an attorney representing the former student. "When there's what we're calling, which is accurate, systemic failures across the board, it ultimately is unsurprising that this revelation that just happened occurred."
The former student has filed a federal lawsuit claiming the district already knew about her allegations stemming back to 2014, saying the district threatened to suspend her after she was harassed by fellow students for coming forward.
"It really boils down to you knew that your student was being subjected harm, you didn't do anything about it for a long period of time and then look what happens," Lipuma said.
A district spokesperson said they cannot speak on the lawsuit. The spokesperson did confirm a Title IX investigation is underway after the bus incident.
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