Several students at Aberdeen High School in Maryland protested against the way the school was handling allegations of sexual assault by walking out on Wednesday, WJZ-TV (CBS affiliate) reports.
Gold Star Families Memorial, Havre de Grace (Harford County), Md. (Voxitatis)“We don’t consent to any of this,” the station quoted one female student as saying. “None of us want to be inappropriately touched.”
The district acknowledged the effect sexual assault allegations have had on the student community and reportedly held an assembly in the school on Thursday in response to the student walkout, WMAR-TV (ABC affiliate) reported.
Harford County Public Schools spokesperson Jillian Lader was quoted as saying the district would “want to ensure students know they are there to support them and ensure their safety.”
Students involved in the protest claim that in one instance, a group of male students were accused of harassing female students in and out of school, and students who made posters calling out the male students were punished on Tuesday as the school went into lockdown.
However, police said one of the students named on the flyers was assaulted, which is the action that prompted the lockdown. Harford County Police are also investigating other physical altercations at the high school surrounding the sexual assault allegations, despite the fact that the department says they have not heard of any of the sexual assault allegations.
