UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County mother is angry after she says a school principal failed to contact her for days after her daughter was inappropriately touched in class.
The mother contacted Channel 9 after the principal alerted her about the incident, nearly three days after it happened.
The mother said her daughter, who attend East Union Middle School in Marshville, was in reading class when a male student grabbed her private area.
"I was speechless, just speechless. I was upset, I was embarrassed, afraid for my daughter," the mother said.
She said she only found out about the incident days later, when she happened to be in the principal's office for a matter involving her son, who also attends the school.
"I asked them when it happened and they said a couple of days ago. They just kept apologizing and I'm saying, 'I'm sorry we are just now getting in contact with you,'" the mother said.
The Union County Sheriff's Office is now investigating and said the male student could face sexual battery charges.
The mother told Eyewitness News that the principal told her the boy had also touched other female students in the past, and she wants to know why he is still attending school.
"My daughter's safety, other female students, their safety. I don't think they took it seriously," she said.
Tuesday afternoon the district sent Channel 9 a statement that said, "Union County Public Schools has a procedure in place to deal with sexual harassment allegations. This is found in the Board of Education Policy Manual.There is no indication that the procedure for investigating alleged sexual harassment was not followed by the school's staff. The school district is currently reviewing and will have a conversation with all principals about the timeliness of contacting parents during the monthly principals' meeting on this Thursday."
A district spokesman also said that due to confidentiality laws, he could not comment on an individuals student's discipline history.
WSOC
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