Myers Park High School students hold protest after claims of school, district mishandling reports of sexual assault and rape

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Former and current Myers Park High School students marched in protest Tuesday afternoon over inaction from school leaders regarding reported sexual assaults, sexual harassment, and rape.

WBTV’s Investigative Team has been investigating reports of sexual assault at Meyers Park dating back to 2015. Five women have come forward in interviews with WBTV, accounting for six reported incidents between 2014 and 2019.

All of them filed police reports and two of them filed law suits, alleging that school administrators mishandled their reports of sexual violence on campus.

One of those lawsuits was settled in late April with the school district agreeing to pay $50,000.

Both school and CMS district leaders refuse to answer our questions.

Last month the CMS school board posted a statement on its Facebook page in response to our investigation, but it was deleted roughly an hour later.

Rising senior Grace Morton said the lack of accountability on her school’s administrators encouraged her to organize the protest.

“It made me and other girls feel like we need to help make that change,” Morton said.

One after the other, former students like Nikki Wombwell shared their personal stories.

“I’m a 2017 graduate and in 2014 I was raped in the woods off campus,” Wombwell said. “When I went to the school about it, Principal Bosco told me that if they did an investigation and found him innocent, I could be suspended for having sex on campus.”

Serena Evans shared a similar account of how the school responded to her.

“Student safety must come first,” Evans said to the crowd on Tuesday. “That sign, safe place, makes my blood boil. Yes, school should be a safe place, but for most it’s not. Not for me, not for any of the other victims.”

WBTV reached out to CMS for a statement regarding the protest Tuesday, but not receive a response.

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