HAMPTON, Va. - News 3 reached out to Hampton City Schools after receiving a report from a viewer about an alleged child molestation incident.
The viewer said there was a staged protest at Hampton schools because of the alleged incident, that was reported at a Hampton elementary school.
School officials said information about the incident was not "factually correct."
They also said it appeared a parent and her high school child organized a student walk out Monday morning for students at our four high schools. Administrators reported that several students who walked out were "unable to communicate the reason for participating in the walk out."
Hampton City Schools released a statement on the issue saying:
The information the parent has now come forth with is not factually correct. The school division did investigate and responded to the parent’s complaint. Upon notification of the complaint, immediate action was taken by the school, which included a thorough investigationby the school division and the Hampton City Police Division. Oftenthere are specific details surrounding investigations in which the school division is unable to discuss due to confidentiality laws. However, what we can communicate regarding this matter is the investigation revealed that two female students in the secondgrade who attend different after-school programs met in a girls’ restroom after school hours. HCS had no knowledge of these encounters until after the fact, and as soon as HCS was made aware, the school division acted as required by law in all manner. HCS madeall reports and took all appropriate remedial actions as required by state law and as advised by our attorneys. In addition, HCS took proactive actions including, at the parent’s request, enrolling the aggrieved student at another school and offering counseling. It must be noted that if someone disagrees with actionsof HCS, there are appropriate procedures that can be followed to reconcile grievances, including seeking redress in the courts. Airing disagreements on social media or in open forums is not a practice the school division endorses. If required, HCS welcomesthe opportunity for a court to examine this situation as the division is confident that at all times HCS personnel acted appropriately. Hampton City Schools staff members remain committed to ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for all of our students.We will have no further comment. Providing additional details may potentially breach the students’ expectations of privacy with respect to their school records.
