Parent alleges sexual assault on school bus; board pledges investigation

A parent told the Edmonds School District Board of Directors that her kindergartner was "raped, groomed, and victimized on a school bus" by a 12-year-old, and accused the district of failing to protect students and to provide timely transparency. Latasha Duxworth made the allegation during public comment on May 1.

The comments, made during the board's public comment period, described a serious incident on a school bus that the parent said left her child traumatized. "She was raped, groomed, and victimized on a school bus, and possibly even worse, by a 12 year old," Duxworth said. She added that she was "shaky and upset" and urged the district and community to be aware.

Why this matters: The board's public comment period is one of the few formal venues for families to raise urgent safety concerns directly to elected school directors and district officials. Allegations of sexual assault in schools trigger mandated reporting duties and may prompt law-enforcement and child-protective investigations.

Board response and context: Board members responded to the public comments during board member remarks. Director Kramer said the allegation of a cover-up was "just frankly insulting" and described the board and administration's obligation to investigate thoroughly and to protect student privacy during investigations. In remarks acknowledging the family's pain, he said the district would "wrap our arms around them and do everything we can to help this young child recover, while also making sure we hold accountable, all those who we can to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again in the future."

Mandated reporting and a prior allegation cited in public comments: A separate public speaker, Jason Moore, referenced Washington's mandated-reporting statute (RCW 26.44), saying mandated reporters include school personnel and alleging a previous failure to report an incident at Meadowdale Elementary. Moore alleged staff and district officials conducted a "cover up operation" by not notifying parents and by terminating a teacher who filed a complaint with the Lynnwood Police Department; he said failure to report can carry criminal penalties. Those are assertions made during public comment and were not adjudicated or verified at the meeting.

What the board did: No formal board action was taken during the meeting on these specific allegations. Directors repeatedly emphasized that investigations must be thorough and that some investigative details cannot be publicly shared because of privacy and legal constraints. Superintendent Dr. Minor was present; the district's formal investigatory and reporting procedures were referenced but no new formal directive or public timeline was announced during the meeting.

Next steps and caveats: The board did not announce disciplinary outcomes or identify any accused individuals at the meeting. Because public comments raised allegations rather than presenting the results of a completed investigation, the claims remain allegations until reviewed by investigators and, if appropriate, law enforcement or child-protective services. The board said it would follow required reporting and investigation protocols.

The meeting proceeded with its agenda; there was no vote tied to these public comments. The board adjourned at the scheduled time.