Sex assault protest at Olympic High prompts CMS sports chief to respond
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Olympic High
A recent reported rape at the school and another case of a football player arrested, accused of sexual violence, has embroiled the district again in complaints about safety and response.
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Sex assault protest at Olympic High prompts CMS sports chief to respond
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Students walked out of classrooms and held a large protest at Olympic High on Friday, calling on more to be done to protect students after a fellow student reported being raped.
A 15-year-old boy was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at Olympic High on Sept. 13, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said. The male student is charged with attempted second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and sexual battery.
The teens knew each other, police said in a statement to the Observer.
At Friday’s protest, and on social media during the past week, several students and parents raised concerns about other possible cases of violence at the southwest Charlotte school. Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district officials offered little information about other recent allegations.
Much of Friday’s protest centered on students saying a football player was seen in a game wearing something on his ankle — possibly an electronic monitoring device — which led to a response from CMS’ athletic director on Friday. It’s not clear what the student-athlete was charged with.
Speaking at the school on Friday afternoon, CMS Athletic Director Ericia Turner appeared to suggest a student-athlete under criminal investigation was allowed to participate in a sports event last week. Instead of taking questions, Turner issued a brief statement in front of news cameras.
“We did not make the right call,” said Turner, who announced that “moving forward,” any student athlete arrested or charged with a criminal offense would be barred from playing while the charges are pending.
“We will make it clear to our coaches and our athletic directors that we must uphold standards aligned to our student code of conduct,” she said.
In addition to at least one rape case under investigation, CMPD records show an Olympic student was charged with simple assault on another student and two male adults in an incident on Sept. 22.
Protest at Olympic High
Friday’s Olympic High boycott, as one flyer described it, was held for the “safety of females in our school,” and many believe the school isn’t “taking these allegations seriously.”
Initially, students planned to stay home from school Friday but ended up holding a large protest outside, shortly after a school assembly where student safety was discussed.
Sereniti Simpson, 18, stood alongside the road in front of Olympic High shouting at her peers that she wanted faculty and administration to “stop talking and take action” after reports of sexual assault against students.
“It means so much to see that there’s power when we come together,” Simpson, who helped organize the protest, said. “It takes all these students coming out here to voice their opinions to finally listen. I’m happy they’re here but it’s crazy that we have to go this far to be listened to.”
Several CMPD officers were on the scene, and patrol vehicles at one point blocked the vehicle entrance and exit to the school on Sandy Porter Road. The crowd by 10:30 a.m., was estimated at about 150, but students told the Observer that at one point there were as many as 500 student protesters. One student was put in handcuffs for throwing a gold hoop earring, according to students. Video taken by students showed a police officer walking the student away from the crowd.
Principal Casey Jones sent a message to families informing them of a “peaceful student demonstration” that was planned with student leaders and administrators at the school.
“At the conclusion, some of our students made a decision to participate in an unauthorized walk out to speak with media and to continue protesting,” Jones said. “Administration is monitoring the situation and taking all safety precautions.”
By noon, the protest was still underway and participants moved to the shoulder of the road. Throughout, trucks and cars honked their horns in solidarity with students protesting.
‘Take us more seriously’
Along with two other female students, Simpson said she helped plan the protest after Jones nixed a scheduled demonstration on Monday.
“It’s frustrating, you don’t reschedule a protest,” Simpson said. “We’re out here today because we’re not going to let them silence our voices anymore.”
An assembly that took place before Friday’s protest wasn’t enough to stop them from demonstrating, Simpson said.
“I feel like (staff and faculty) should take us more seriously and listen to our voices,” she said. “They need to listen, they’re not listening, and that’s the biggest problem right now. They need to actually take steps to make the girls feel safer on campus.”
Girls on Olympic’s campus aren’t safe, Simpson said. It’s not just at her school. She said girls at other CMS schools are dealing with the same problem and aren’t safe against sexual assaults on their campuses.
The arrest of the 15-year-old male student two weeks ago caused an immediate alarm throughout the school.
“Walking around campus you’re scared, you don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Simpson said. “If a girl can get sexually assaulted in the bathroom, what are we supposed to do, hold our pee? It’s scary, and it’s our reality.”
Caryna Cozaya, 14, said she filed a Title IX report Thursday because a student in her class made sexual remarks toward her.
“It was honestly dehumanizing,” she said.
Female students’ reports of sexual assault being put to the back burner is irritating, Cozaya said.
“We’re kids, we’re not adults, we’re students,” she said. “It’s so many of us crying on the bleachers (at the assembly) because nobody would take initiative.”
Cozaya and Hajjah Harrison, 16, said their school tried silencing them by telling them to go back to class and to “represent the school appropriately.”
“We can’t represent a school who allows rape and who allows students still to to be here,” Cozaya said.
All three students are asking for the community assistance in going to future football games and protesting against their school.
“We only have each other,” Cozaya said. “We need you to stand with us. If our principal is not gonna do anything about this, and the administration staff won’t do anything about this, then who’s left? It’s only us.”
Simpson has spoken with her mother and other community members and they want to come out to games, she said.
“We are teenagers coming together because we know this is wrong,” Simpson said. “We need the support of parents, the community, friends and family because we can’t do it alone. We need voices heard across the city and state. We’re about action! We want something done now!”
CMS Title IX issues
The report of sexual violence at Olympic comes about a month after CMS said it would strengthen anti-harassment training both for staff and the student body, and create a task force to review how student reports of sexual misconduct are handled, the Observer previously reported.
The task force, which includes students, met for the first time last month. Title IX training for teachers and staff was held prior to the start of school, and training for students also has taken place. Title IX liaison information is also now prominently displayed on each school’s website.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that entitles students to an education free of sexual harassment. Regulations require schools to educate students on their rights and make it clear how to file a Title IX complaint.
The changes come as CMS leaders have been criticized for how the district has responded to issues at Myers Park High School, where former students have sued following sexual assaults on campus, and others have held protests over alleged Title IX violations, the Observer previously reported.
The two women reported being sexually assaulted in the woods adjacent to Myers Park High School in 2014 and 2015. The school’s principal was placed on paid leave this summer as an investigation began into whether Myers Park administrators discouraged female students from making formal reports about sexual violence.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 10:22 AM.
