NOTTOWAY, Va. (WRIC) — After a Nottoway middle school student was allegedly sexually assaulted with a broomstick last fall, the school’s superintendent denied the assault happened.
However, three days ago, the teenage boy publicly doubled down on his claim at a school board meeting– in front of the superintendent.
“It happened. Look at me. It did happen and I want answers from you,” the teen said to Superintendent Dr. Tameshia Grimes last Thursday.
The back and forth over a sexual assault allegation at the school may be making a bad situation worse. 8News first reported the allegation in January.
County Supervisor John Roark was the first person to make the allegation public on behalf of the teen, at a January school board meeting.
“The child was grabbed from behind, the child was held, the child was penetrated with a broomstick,” Roark said in an interview with 8News after he made the allegations.
The teen’s mother professed in a video posted on social media, “Back in September of last year, 2021, my son was sexually assaulted in the gym locker room with an object.”
Though the teen and his mother publicly identified themselves, 8News decided not to share their names or show their faces.
During a school board meeting in March, Grimes said, “I can assure the community that there was not a sexual assault committed in our school.”
After Grime’s admission, the teen’s mother responded in a video, saying, “Police reports, screenshots, two different protective orders. Yeah, nothing happened, huh?”
The teen questioned Grimes at last week’s meeting.
“Why did you sit up here last month and say what happened to me did not happen, especially since during the meeting my mom requested back in December, you sat beside her, rubbing her hand?” he asked.
Despite saying no sexual assault occurred, Grimes said, “I can not provide details about what exactly did happen.”
Nottoway Sheriff Robert Jones also declined to share details with 8News. However, he said his team investigated, “made appropriate charges” and presented them to the court.
In one of her videos posted online, the teen’s mom said, “Charges were pressed, [we] went to trial…” “…the child was punished, no thanks to the school. They weren’t going to do anything.”
Despite the mother’s claim, 8News did not receive an official word or court documents from Nottoway Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
8News also learned the United States Department of Education launched an investigation into the Nottoway school system back in 2020.
The department’s website references a possible Title IX discrimination complaint regarding a disciplinary matter. However, specifics about the investigation and its potential findings were unknown despite 8News reaching out for comment.
