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U.S. NEWSSaturday 21 March 2015

American Living:

Accusations of Assaults Unnerve California High School

RICK ROJAS acts with two girls from the attend. Zimmer said he was communities need to ad- police, but when we be-
© 2015 New York Times school described as in their committed to finding some dress, too,” said Neena lieve teenage girls are be-
LOS ANGELES - Since the midteens, beginning in De- more substantive and lon- Chaudhry, senior counsel ing sexually assaulted on
arrests of a dozen students cember 2013, and continu- ger term solutions, such as for the National Women’s and off campus, we take
here on suspicion of sex- ing until as recently as this teaching students about Law Center. “Students immediate action,” Smith
related crimes, members month. Twelve of the boys having safe and healthy re- need to know and feel safe said. “We feared there
of the Venice High School have been arrested - eight lationships. about being able to report may be other female stu-
community have been do- of them on campus during “This is something that can these things. Schools have dents that may fall victim to
these young men if we did
Students at the end of the school day in front of Venice High School, in Los Angeles, March 16, 2015. In the wake of the arrests of not act quickly.”
a dozen students on suspicion of sex-related crimes, members of the Venice High School community are searching for what they Most of the boys have
could have done to prevent the assaults and what they can do to try to ensure that nothing similar happens again. been released to their par-
ents and removed from
(Monica Almeida/The New York Times) the school, the police said.
Smith said certain boys in-
ing some soul-searching the school day last Friday. change young lives forev- to make that clear.” volved had been “much
about what they could The police say they have er,” Zimmer said. “It’s about Bernadette Morales, whose more egregious in their as-
have done to prevent the been unable to find the the destruction of young son is a sophomore at the saults of these girls” than
assaults - some of which other two. lives.” school, said the arrests had others, but declined to
the police said took place Some of the sex acts were While college campuses served as “a wake-up call.” elaborate. None of the chil-
on campus - and what consensual and some were have been grappling with She said she was troubled dren’s names have been
they can do to try to ensure not, the police said, but sexual assaults and how by a school administration released, because of their
that nothing similar hap- consensual sex with a mi- to handle them, this case that might be allowing stu- ages.
pens again. nor is also a crime in Cali- is an example of the issue dents too much freedom. Prosecutors have 60 days
“We’re trying to determine fornia, and the boys could trickling down to the high “This is jaw-dropping,” she from the date of citation to
how much of this, if any of be charged with various of- school level, which peo- said. “I don’t know how this decide whether to pursue
this, could have been pre- fenses. Investigators have ple who work on women’s went on for so long without criminal charges, said Greg
vented with more securi- uncovered enough physi- rights issues say is an emerg- being noticed.” Risling, a spokesman for the
ty,” said Steve Zimmer, the cal evidence to be certain ing problem. Some of those School officials said they Los Angeles County district
Los Angeles school board that “there was forced sex- experts argue for more ed- learned of the accusations attorney’s office.
member whose district in- ual activity against the will ucation, so that high school from students on March One case presented to
cludes Venice High School. of the victims in this case,” students know how to iden- 10, and went immediately prosecutors has already
“That’s really unclear right said Cmdr. Andrew Smith tify and respond to sexual to the police. Within days, been declined, he said, but
now.” of the Los Angeles police. assault - and also how to police detectives had he declined to comment
According to the Los An- School officials have help prevent it. identified 14 boys, and the further.
geles Police Department, brought in crisis counselors The accusations at Venice majority of the arrests were Separately from the crimi-
14 boys from Venice High and are evaluating secu- High School highlight “a made last Friday during nal proceedings, the Los
School, ages 14 through rity on the campus, which real problem that schools second period. Angeles Unified School Dis-
17, were involved in the sex more than 2,000 students need to address and “We’re not the school sex trict, the nation’s second-
largest public school sys-
tem, has started the process
“to determine whether or
not a recommendation for
expulsion will be sought,”
said Gayle Pollard-Terry, a
district spokeswoman.
The authorities have shared
limited details about the
suspected crimes, but stu-
dents interviewed outside
the school said that in the
halls and after class, class-
mates pass along rumors
and photographs, includ-
ing explicit images spread
by Snapchat, a messag-
ing service in which photos
vanish in seconds.
“It’s distracting people
from most of our work,”
Mason Castro, 18, a senior,
said after school this week,
a skateboard in hand and
a deep scrape across his
forearm. “In some classes,
everyone talks about that
instead of doing what they
would normally do.” He
added: “It’s one more bit
of gossip for everyone to
choke down.”q