Parents in the Alpine Union School District are raising concerns after learning about an alleged incident at an Alpine Elementary school.
An Alpine Union parent sent NBC 7 a copy of a letter that was sent to parents on Feb. 29 about an incident at Shadow Hills Elementary. The letter said district leaders received reports of Shadow Hills Elementary School students involved in an incident of a sexual nature in the restroom on campus during the school day, but no other details about the incident were released.
“I briefly saw something on social media, and I didn’t think too much about it, but I put two-and-two together,” said a concerned parent.
From there, the parent said, news of the alleged incident spread "like wildfire."
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Many of the parents who gathered in the Shadow Hills Elementary School auditorium Tuesday night for a meeting with school district leaders said they were shocked, upset and deeply disturbed by the news.
“Sick to my stomach,” said a concerned parent. "The information that we were told just made me sad on the inside. It just made me want to hug my kids some more."
“It happens everywhere in America," another parent said. "It’s a very sad situation."
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District leaders said that, after learning about the incident, they took immediate action to protect students and deter anything else from happening, implementing new rules for bathroom use for the foreseeable future. Effective immediately on all campuses, they said, only one student at a time will be allowed in a restroom, and there will be campus supervision outside all student restrooms.
“A parent’s No. 1 concern about a school anywhere is safety," one parent said. "Not just this incident, but any kind of incident that involves violence of sorts."
District leaders said they’re in communication with all the families involved in the alleged incident and that the alleged perpetrator is not currently on campus.
District leaders said they’re legally prohibited from releasing students' names and any potential disciplinary acts they may have taken because of strict laws that protect minors’ privacy rights. Mental health professionals and social workers will be available at every campus for anyone who needs them, authorities said, adding that they're working with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and CPS on the ongoing investigation.
