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Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A school district near Springfield is accused of doing more to protect its reputation than to protect a ten-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted on the school bus.
Parents Chadd and Ashley Peden have filed a federal lawsuit against the Taylorville school district and Durham School Services, the company which provides its transportation.
“Words really fail to describe the horror of having to write this complaint,” said lawyer Cass Casper. “We’re talking about one of the most vulnerable members of our society: a young, ten-year-old special needs girl.”
A 14-year-old boy was accused of sexually assaulting the girl over a period of a week in January 2024. The school’s response, said Casper, was to simply move the boy to another part of the building and then assign him to a bus with even younger students on board.
“The decision to take legal action was not made lightly,” said the girl’s mother, Ashley Peden. “It was after exhausting every appropriate channel I could. It was made after watching my daughter’s rights be minimized, her voice be silenced, and her safety be compromised in a space that promised to do the opposite.”
The Taylorville superintendent did not respond to an opportunity to comment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was edited to reflect the correct spelling of Cass Casper’s name. We regret the error.