PHILADELPHIA - An anonymous Philadelphia family brought a civil lawsuit against the Bethlehem Area School District in Northampton County over the alleged rape of their son, according to court documents filed Feb. 24 in Philadelphia federal court.
The suit states that the family's 6-year-old child was a kindergarten student at the Farmersville Elementary School in Easton, where he rode the bus to and from school each day. In September 2019, the child was a victim of bullying by an older student, which allegedly escalated to sexual abuse from October through December of 2019, including anal rape and groping.
The parents state that the school was aware of the bully's violent state and neglected to protect vulnerable students.
In January 2020, the bully, was interviewed by investigators and admitted to the abusive acts, the suit says.
The family is pressing for one count of a civil rights violation, and seeks over $150,000 in restitution for their child's suffering, medical expenses and mental anguish. A jury trial is demanded.
The plaintiffs are represented by Michael Shaffer of Shaffer and Gaier LLC of Philadelphia.