Shaker Heights police are investigating a reported sexual assault at Shaker Heights High School that authorities said occurred Tuesday.
Shaker Heights City Schools Superintendent Dr. Gregory Hutchings Jr. spoke with NewsChannel5 Thursday saying the incident involved a 16-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy.
The incident, he also confirmed, took place during school hours.
Hutchings did not provide exact details on the incident due to the open police investigation but did note, the school has also begun its own investigation.
“We are doing or conducting an internal review to find out how this has occurred in our schools and how can put additional safety measures in place to prevent something, you know, at this level from occurring in the future,” said Dr. Hutchings. “Safety needs to be our top priority in our schools,” added.
Many parents were at the school Thursday evening for a Curriculum Meeting and voiced their concerns on the alleged incident.
Samuel Kisner said, “We have a daughter here, she’s a 12th grader and it’s a bit scary because she’s here to work, she’s very focused and to come to this situation like this, it’s a little heart-wrenching.
Jani McWilliams, another parent there for the meeting said, “I think the attention should be on the fact that sexual violence occurs every 47 seconds all over the country, it crosses all social-economic barriers and here in Shaker Heights, it’s no different than any other place.”
Almost three weeks have passed since Shaker Heights began its new school year on Aug. 26.
Shaker Heights Police told NewsChannel5 the 16-year-old boy involved was taken into custody. Police also said the alleged victim was treated and released from a nearby hospital.
No charges have been announced as the investigation continues.
