Community | August 03, 2010 | 48 comments

Teen Raped After Being Used by School as "Bait"

source: http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/teen_raped_after_being_used_by_school_as_bait

If a high school student goes to administrators to report that she and another teenage girl were raped by a boy at the school, you might think that the immediate course of action would be to keep the survivors safe while investigating the allegations. But a student at Upper St. Claire High School is suing her school district for using her as bait, which resulted in her being raped a second time.

It's possible that the principal had watched The Sting a few too many times and thought that he could launch his own undercover operation. Even so, to put a sexual assault victim in the path of her rapist seems like an absurd level of endangerment — except that Principal Michael Ghilani didn't believe that he was dealing with a rape survivor. Instead, he turned the rape victims into guilty parties, deciding that student were having consensual sex on school premises after hours, and he wanted them all caught.

Instead of having the girls safely escorted to their bus, as the teacher to whom the crime was first reported wanted to do, Principal Ghilani kept them on school grounds and tasked the school police to follow them — in order to see if they went somewhere to have sex, rather than to watch out for their well-being. The police apparently thought everybody had gone home, but were mistaken, since two girls reported being raped in the stairwell that afternoon.

Why the principal would think that the girl would report on herself having consensual sex is beyond me. In the school district's attempt to defend its gross negligence, it argued that these girls were just jealous of other girls having sex with the boy in question. The boy himself, by the way, has pleaded guilty to sexual assault, although not to rape, and faces up to four years imprisonment.

Cara writes on the Curvature, "I’m honestly not even sure which facet of this case I find most appalling — the lesson that if you report being raped to your school, they’ll use you as a method to catch other students doing allegedly naughty things rather than protecting you; or the lesson that if you report being raped to your school, they’ll respond to their own culpability in the situation by telling the national media that you wanted it, anyway."

The lawsuit further states that the school knew that the boy was sexually harassing and assaulting girls the month before this incident took place, but did nothing. The school also failed to report any rapes occurring for the year's Safe Schools Report, which suggests that the administrators might have chosen to perceive the attacks as consensual in order not to have to admit the lack of safety in their hallways. Why guarantee the security of your students when you can just present the appearance of security.
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Women,   Orwellian Nightmare
  2. tags:
    School,  Rape,  Stupidity,  Epic Fail
  3.     
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48 comments // Teen Raped After Being Used by School as "Bait"

  • kulahptik
  • keithponder
  • keithponder
  • keithponder
  • Penny_C
    • 0
      Penny_C  
    • keithponder:

      You've got that right. Do your job Teachers and Parents to keep kids safe. The girl who got gang raped in Richmond after the Prom was out here. I went to that High School for a year. We really have to get the message out to boys, stop treating girls this way. Respect yourself and others.

      I always ask myself, where are their parents?

      I taught my kids that you do not just stand by and let bad things happen. I am always overwhelmed by how many teens that can help each other just won't. Calling 911 or getting help to stop a violent act is absolutely possible and the right thing to do. Teens have to look our each other and not bring themselves down to the level of common animals. Even the most annoying kid deserves our protection. Sometimes we have to look out for our own.

      Just don't let fear stop you from doing the right thing.

      Imagine this guy in a few more years. Another serial rapist with not morals or respect for girls or women. I can only wonder about his parents.

    • 1 year ago
  • Pedroptz
  • HeroMAY
    • +4
      HeroMAY  

    • If that where my daughter I would be sitting in a cell awaiting a sentence of either life in prison or the death penalty after putting a few hot ones in that young sumama bitch and the principle A Time to Kill style.

      *Samuel L. Jackson voice* "YES THEY DESERVED TO DIE AND I HOPE THEY BURN IN HELL!!!!"

    • 1 year ago
  • cclark_productions
  • EmperorThan
    • +3
      EmperorThan  

    • Holy Fuck!!! That's fucked up. Once is bad enough. Poor girl...

      Mission Accomplished Upper St. Claire High School administrators, you caught him in the act!

    • 1 year ago
  • Omnomynous
  • Penny_C
    • 0
      Penny_C  
    • Omnomynous:

      Or she will scare School Administrations into making sure that their staffs know what to do in this type of situation. They didn't report other rapes as well because of school funding. How does he feel a million dollar lawsuit will affect the school or fear of being raped affects students?

      I am sure this is a National Problem and though Nancy can be blunt, people can hear her and this type of stupidity has really got to stop for the sake of our kids. It deserves National Attention. These are our future generations and it's time we stop living in the Stone Age of mentality.

    • 1 year ago
  • Penny_C
    • 0
      Penny_C  

    • Wow, take them to the Bank. I guess this District cut back on educating their Administrators on how to deal with violence on the School grounds. This guy is up for only four years for raping two girls? It doesn't say what State this is in? Ten for each girl. I don't care how old he is. He is a serial rapist. Putting him in jail for a few years is not going to cure him but it will protect our kids.

      I am so tired of ineffective School Administrations. The Principal will surely be up on charges as well. Now he can add slander to his list of offenses. The boy should have been expelled and arrested. He should not have had access to any High School girls.

      "She wanted it." Stupid. A lot of people will pay dearly for hiring this idiot. Get involved with your schools PTA parents. You should have seen this train wreck coming. Now, everyone will pay for his rotten attitude toward girls. Men who think like he does have no place working around High School students. Time to review your whole district to make sure your kids aren't being governed by sexists pigs.

    • 1 year ago
  • ReverandG
    • +1
      ReverandG  

    • The principal should have an old fashioned pounding by the girls fathers. Sue what is left of him when they finish. What a piece of work.

    • 1 year ago
  • Varex_Sythe
    • +2
      Varex_Sythe  

    • Seriously? The guy had to have a high enough education to become a school principal, but he isn't smart enough to step back from the situation and involve the proper authorities to protect the well being of his students? What a terrible fucking joke this principal is and/or was. I hope that at the very least he personally is fined for all he is worth and he looses his job.

    • 1 year ago
  • Dmerza1989
    • +1
      Dmerza1989  

    • The principle of my high school got fired for trying to preform her own drug sting on a student. When are they going to learn its not their job to preform stings to catch other students? They are a principle not the fucking police! They need to remember what their job really is and when they are over stepping their limited authority.

    • 1 year ago
  • NothingIsAbsoluteTruth
    • +1
      NothingIsAbsoluteTruth  

    • Our society likes to cover their asses up. Something happens and someone blames it on someone else or some how makes the victims the guilty people. Our "Justice" system is corrupt, you can get away with anything as long as you have the right friends or the right amount of money.

    • 1 year ago
  • Mariased
    • +6
      Mariased  

    • What a pig. I still can't believe the whole " She must have wanted/deserved/asked for it" bullshit mentality still exists and is prevalent in schools. This man should be severely punished for what happened to that girl, and should lose his current job and the ability to work in other schools as well. The entire staff should be receive training about how to deal with similar situations. I would love to see this man made an example of.

    • 1 year ago
  • estee_arie
  • sgordy1
  • ayipis
  • ayipis
    • 0
      ayipis  

    • then the idiot needs to be charged with endangerment of a minor..locked up in a cell with a serial rapist..

      fun part would be when he complains of being raped..

      doubt him

    • 1 year ago
  • CalgarC
  • Amy_Keyishian
    • +12
      Amy_Keyishian  

    • haha, yup! the school's website/contact page is here:http://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/46659271991816/site/default.asp

      in my experience, the emails don't get answered or anything exciting like that --most likely the principal will feel all sad and persecuted and misunderstood, poor muffin. And/or on the advice of his or the school district's lawyers he'll be ordered to stay silent. Nonetheless, if there's the merest chance I can make him feel one tenth as ashamed, shitty and tweaked as your average rape survivor... it's worth hitting send!

      p.s. can i get a shout out for posting that while I'm timing my contractions? talk about multitasking!

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
  • simguy665
  • eden49
  • Penny_C
    • -1
      Penny_C  
    • Amy_Keyishian:

      Good luck with your delivery. I hope it all goes well for both or all of you.

      Hopefully you will join their PTA and make sure your kids don't have to go through anything like this. Parents who get to know the teachers outside of the classroom get an inside look at how they might really behave in the classrooms. You can also discuss their teaching philosophy as well. No teenager ever should be abused at school or by their staff. We need to get the message out to teenagers that you can't get away with rape and teens need to not use drugs in school if they make you an easy victim. Not saying any of these girls were stoned. Just that too many teens too get raped because they don't realize the risk of taking drugs around people you cannot trust.

    • 1 year ago
  • crispyfritters
    • +9
      crispyfritters  

    • When I was in high school, I trusted the school's administration just about as far as I could throw them, and this kind of thing was part of the reason. Instead of protecting the students, and helping them with serious problems using the appropriate measures, school officials always seem to either not care, or have some hair brained scheme to figure out whether or not they can trust students. That's just irresponsible. Any well adjusted adult would take an accusation of rape FAR more seriously than this. Using a human being as "bait" for rape is totally criminal.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • +10
      JanforGore  

    • Just wondering if these girls told their parents or their counselors prior to going to the principal themselves as it wasn't mentioned in the article. Nevermind just firing him, the principal should be arrested for reckless endangerment of a minor and as an accomplice to the second rape.

    • 1 year ago
  • ReverandG
  • Amy_Keyishian
  • KSirys
  • blaino
  • tcooper
  • versasrev
  • dou4u2
  • versasrev
  • KSirys
  • versasrev
  • CalgarC
  • KSirys
  • CalgarC
  • KSirys
  • idealist
  • bailey78
  • artemis6
  • Hipstar
  • tcooper
    • +5
      tcooper  

    • This is absurd. I have heard of schools preventing under achieving students from taking state tests, but actually putting students in danger to get better reviews on a SAFETY REPORT. Just absurd. Wouldn't it be easier to just you know.....make the students safe? If a student reports rape, or any threat or use of physical violence, should enforcement be left in the hands of principles who are worried about bench marks and test scores? I believe this should have been handled solely by the police. Who is reasonable for the actions of the school police? are they real police or are they security guards that work for the school? Either way the principle and police should face criminal charges

    • 1 year ago
putdownmypants
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