Shawnee Mission East students are standing together against sexual assault. They’re wearing black on Wednesday to support a fellow classmate.
A 14-year-old freshman girl told the principal at Shawnee Mission East that she was sexually assaulted in the school’s bathroom last Wednesday.
SME students spread the word on social media, using the hashtag, #wearblacktostopattacks, and students across the metro joined them and dressed in black to show support.
Have you ?Ed all the #schools standing against #sexualassault in #KC? #wearblacktostopattacks They stand w/ #SME freshman @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/hBYgn3puBg
— Belinda Post (@Belinda_Post) September 21, 2016
Students told 41 Action News that it was important for them to stand up for their classmate.
"I'm just showing I don't support what happened and that strength in numbers could help her," said 18-year-old Eva Roberts, a SME senior.
One freshman girl, who did not want to be identified said, "I'm standing against it, because sexual assault hits close to home. It shouldn't be happening out of school or like in the school."
She and a few other girls said they are very sad for the victim.
Some parents have expressed frustration with the school saying they weren't told about the incident soon enough.
The school did send an email out to all parents saying they are trying to protect the privacy of the students involved. They said their number one priority is student safety.
Other schools join the protest
Support came from many schools including Rockhurst, Blue Valley West, Notre Dame de Sion, Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission West.
Hundreds of teens walked through their school doors wearing black.
Students at an all girls Catholic school, Notre Dame de Sion, sent out a tweet last night to take part in the #WearBlacktoStopAttacks demonstration today.
#WearBlackToStopAttacks students at Notre Dame de Sion in solidarity for SME student pic.twitter.com/3JL3q22qA2
— Jane Monreal (@JaneMonreal) September 21, 2016
Administration did not want the students to speak to the media. As one student said, it “was because they wanted to formulate a concise response that reflected our community's values.”
She said their demonstration was successful and they spent 45 minutes having a school wide discussion with administration.
------------------------
Follow 41 Action News on Twitter:
Like 41 Action News on Facebook:
