COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – In the last two years, Columbus City Schools have documented around 250 unwelcome sexual encounters at school, sparking concerns among parents and guardians.
After publishing an account of the prolonged sexual assault of a 6-year-old on a school bus, five other parents reached out to NBC4 to voice concerns about student sexual assault at Columbus City Schools. NBC4 Investigates looked into these concerns and found some parents are leaving the district due to administrators’ response to sexualized behavior.
One such incident occurred at a elementary school on March 10. According to a Columbus police report, a teacher’s aide accompanied three students with special needs to the restroom but left without realizing two of the students remained behind. According to the report, when the aide returned to the restroom, she discovered one student engaging in “inappropriate sexual contact” with another.
That case was investigated as gross sexual imposition but was quickly closed due to the ages of the students and because both have special needs. NBC4 Investigates spoke with the victim’s grandmother, her legal guardian, who said her 11-year-old granddaughter is nonverbal and cannot advocate for herself. After the incident, she said she took her granddaughter to the emergency room and noticed she was no longer her typical cheery self.
In closing the case, Columbus police cited an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that considers incidents involving children under 13 as “sexualized behavior.” CCS uses the same terminology. But the woman, who is not being named to protect the student’s identity, said she was frustrated the incident is not being called sexual assault, which she feels is more accurate.
“She can’t communicate like that. She doesn’t understand that stuff,” she said. “And they left her in a restroom to be sexually assaulted. And those are the words I’m using, those are the words I’m standing on. And that’s exactly what happened, whether they call it sexual behavior or not, it was sexual assault against my granddaughter.”
The grandmother also voiced concerns with the teacher’s aide changing her narrative to police three times. NBC4 Investigates received copies of all three narratives, which varied slightly in how the aide characterized the incident. The grandmother also was not made aware of the third narrative until she requested police records and said neither the school nor police offered her a copy of the third, official report.
“The first narrative was that her pants and underwear were down after I contacted the police once I arrived at the school. The second narrative was that her pants were slightly below her waist,” she said. “And so I’ve been going back and forth with that, and it’s been frustrating.”
Her granddaughter’s story is one of many. According to data obtained by NBC4 Investigates, CCS has seen more than 100 cases of unwelcome sexual contact between students this school year alone, and around 140 cases last school year among its 113 district schools.
| DISCIPLINE | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency removal by district personnel | 32 | 18 |
| Expulsion | <10 | — |
| In-school alternate discipline program | — | <10 |
| In-school suspension | 29 | 32 |
| Out-of-school suspension | 76 | 59 |
According to CCS, the district investigates each complaint of sexual harassment or assault and takes action based on the findings, which can include discipline or removal. In her granddaughter’s case, the woman said the district created a safety plan, which NBC4 Investigates received a redacted version of. The plan included constant supervision, moving the other student from her granddaughter’s class and teaching her granddaughter phrases like “don’t touch” and “feel scared.”
However, the woman said she was unimpressed with the district’s response. She said the district said it is considering placing the other student back in her granddaughter’s class, citing an Ohio law regarding environments for special education students.
She also said she asked the principal to send a letter to other parents to let them know what happened but was told no to protect student privacy. This was particularly concerning for her because she worried it could happen to another student. To date, she still does not know the name of the student suspect.
A lack of clear communication led to a mother pulling her students from another CCS elementary after she said she became aware of multiple alleged physical and sexual assaults on her son’s classmates. She spoke of sexual misconduct on a school bus, rape threats and a 10-year-old student who was touched inappropriately on her thigh, all of which she alleged were not investigated by the school to her satisfaction.
“If we’re missing already on sexual abuse and physical assaults, then I would hate to think what else is being overlooked that should have attention paid to it as well,” she said. “I think the scariest part is that these situations were truly treated as though they were minor events and no big deal. And that is not the case.”
The former CCS parent shared over a dozen emails between her and the school asking for resolution but said she thought the district never appropriately addressed concerns. Both the mother and a parent she was friends with left the district after the 2023-2024 school year because of these alleged assaults.
“I just no longer felt safe, and that’s why I felt obligated – I’m not going to sit around and wait for my son to be the next victim,” she said.
The grandmother was unable to remove her student, however. She said she would not recommend CCS if parents have other options. She said the experience is still affecting her granddaughter, even on the morning she spoke with NBC4 Investigates.
“This morning, when she got up, she was smiling, laughing, running back and forth throughout the house. But then as I was taking her to school today, her face looked so sad,” she said. “And I’ve never, I’ve never, never seen her face look the way it did.”
CCS declined an interview with NBC4 Investigates, sharing a statement instead:
“Columbus City Schools follows a detailed and thorough process when responding to any allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault. These procedures are outlined in Board Policy 2266: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities, which ensures the district complies with Title IX and protects the rights and safety of all students and staff.
“When the district becomes aware of a potential incident, trained Title IX personnel immediately begin a fair and neutral process that includes providing supportive measures to those involved, investigating the complaint, and taking appropriate action based on the findings. This may include discipline, removal from school programs, or other steps to preserve a safe learning environment.
“In addition, any report of sexual assault made to a district employee must also follow mandatory reporting laws under Board Policy 8462, which addresses student abuse and neglect. In serious cases, this may result in an emergency removal from school as outlined in Board Policy 5610.03.
Due to the sensitive nature of these matters, the district is unable to discuss specific details. However, the district is committed to handling all reports promptly, and in full accordance with federal, state, and district guidelines. More information can also be found in the Student Guide to Success, which outlines student expectations and consequences regarding sexual misconduct.“
