A 15-year-old Shawnee Mission East student pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two classmates inside the high school.
The attack spurred a discussion amongst students at the school when it happened in September. Several girls started a movement against sexual violence that went viral.
“For that to be one of the first experiences for that freshmen class, that's what they take away, that’s not ok,” said senior Katie Kuhlman. “That’s not fair to them, that’s not what we are about at all."
The 15-year-old student pleaded guilty on two felony counts.
He surrendered himself Thursday afternoon for his 10-day sentence in the juvenile detention center.
He’ll also be placed on the Kansas sex offenders registry for five years and serve two years' probation.
District leaders can’t confirm if he’ll return to Shawnee Mission East.
"I can tell you, in general, we have a variety of options available to us to deal with this and we try to tailor the options based off the specificity of the crime,” explained John Douglass, the district’s Executive Director of Emergency Resources. “This is not an easy situation to deal with, and it's complicated and it requires a balance of a lot of rights and a lot of effort to maintain everyone's safety."
Meantime, students are creating a tangible action plan.
"We are working on creating posters to put up around the school to let everyone know,” said junior Ellie Van Gorden.
The group is also coordinating MOCSA speakers to visit classrooms and discuss sexual assault and offer resources.
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Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.
