Trigger Warning: Sexual Assult

I want to preface this by saying this is not a personal attack on any of the administrators or SROs at Blue Valley. I’m sure they are individually good people.

In my sophomore year, I was sexually assaulted on campus. I remember where — it was in the atrium of the aux theater, an area with little foot traffic. We were caught and both received warnings against PDA in schools.

When I told the administration the truth of the event, I was sent to an emergency mental hospital. Both my parents and I made it clear how poor of an idea this was. They didn’t listen.

Had we not followed up, this would have been completely lost to the aether. Only after persistent emails did they finally act. They sent the information they had to the SROs and shut the case once more. At this point, we gave up. I was done reliving the trauma, and my parents were done screaming into the void — we had all lost hope. We told each other they were handling it quietly, but we knew that was a comforting lie.

At the start of this year, my assaulter and I were listed as co-presidents of a school club through a long series of unfortunate coincidences. By the time I learned of this, it was “officially” listed and submitted to administration. When they were informed of our history, I was told it could no longer be changed.

The situation was resolved — but only because the perpetrator stepped down. Perhaps you find their act of repentance heartwarming, and I’m honestly inclined to agree. However, what I feel I need to stress is that sex criminals are outperforming the administration of Blue Valley High School when it comes to acknowledging and negating the damage of sex crimes.

My parents and I tried to push the administration into establishing systems for the future. We received contrived excuses, a lukewarm imitation of an apology and a vague promise to establish an even more vague plan for the future. Once again, we are in a state of telling ourselves it is being handled behind the scenes. Once again, it is a comforting lie.

I am ready to go to college now and live the rest of my life. I’d like to look hopefully toward the future and not the past, but I frankly have no energy left to resist them. I still have hope for things to improve, but it will all be in your hands now.