Lawsuit accuses Diamond Schools of disregarding sexual assault of middle school student

A lawsuit accuses a Newton County school district of disregarding the sexual assault of a middle school girl on its campus.

Court documents claim the Diamond R-IV School District knew about the incident that took place in October of 2022, but never did anything about it.

A petition says an 11-year-old was sexually assaulted by another female student, who “had a history of sexual misconduct” that the school “knew or should have known about.”

The lawsuit adds that Diamond Schools violated the Missouri Human Rights Act by not keeping the girl safe, even though she “reported the assault to the teacher in charge.”

Documents also say the girl “went to the principal’s office on her own accord to report the assault” but that her parents were “never notified by Diamond R-IV of the assault on her minor child.”

The family is asking for a jury trial and for compensatory damages.