All language subtitles for Silenced.2023.1080p.WEB.h264-BAE_track3_[eng]

[ Keyboard clacking ]

♪♪

-We started dating
my freshman year.

I was 14.

He was 15.

♪♪

He messaged me that he had
brought a gun to school...

and he was
going to shoot himself

unless I met him after class.

He took me to the woods.

And that's when he raped me.

♪♪

I talked to
the school resource officer.

He didn't take a police report.

I talked to the principal.

I was threatened
with suspension.

♪♪

If it had just been me,
I think I could move on.

But seeing that it wasn't
just me, it's still happening,

I have to do something
about it.

Like, I just have to.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

-Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

teaches more than
140,000 students

across 180 schools
in North Carolina.

For the past year,
current and former students

have accused the district
of suppressing reports

that students were
sexually assaulting one another

on campus.

These accusers say
that administrators

even retaliated against students
who tried to speak up.

Now they're trying to hold
the district accountable.

They've collected
over a dozen anonymous accounts

from CMS students
who say that they, too,

were sexually assaulted
or harassed at school.

-Okay. I got the timeline.
-Timeline.

-Who has nice handwriting?

-When I looked at the timeline
for the first time --

I knew there was a lot.
-Mm-hmm.

-But I just didn't expect it
to be so extensive and so long.

-We didn't even put all of
the anonymous people on there.

-So, October 22, 2014.

And then you'll write
"Nikki Wombwell"

above in the blue.

-Ooh, that's a hard date
to hear.

-Nikki Wombwell was a sophomore

at Myers Park High School
in 2014

when she says she was raped

in the woods
surrounding the school

by a classmate.

-We started dating
my freshman year.

I was 14. He was 15.

He messaged me that he had
brought a gun to school...

and he was
going to shoot himself

unless I met him after class.

He took me to the woods,
and that's when he raped me.

♪♪

At first, I was just quiet

and stopped dressing up
to go to school

and stopped caring about things.

And then eventually
I overcompensated.

I did everything
I possibly could

to not have a single second
to think about it.

♪♪

Every single one of these
that we know of

happened early fall semester.

It's called "the red zone"
in college

because it's most common
to happen

right when school's starting.

♪♪

-Ooh.

-Need a hug?

-[ Sniffles ] Oh, my God.

♪♪

-Students and former students
from at least four CMS schools

have said that they were
sexually harassed or assaulted.

At Myers Park High School,
at least four people have said

that they were
sexually assaulted

in or around the school,

only to be met with indifference
or even aggression

from officials
when they tried to report it.

-I'm gonna go to the bathroom
really fast.

Are they open? Do you know?

-Yeah, they're open.
-Okay.

♪♪

-Serena Evans says that,
as a 15-year-old in 2016,

she was raped before
a tennis match by a classmate.

♪♪

-My perpetrator cornered me,

forced me into the bathroom
that he said no one used,

locked me in the stall,

assaulted me and then raped me
and then left me in there.

October 25th
was literally the day

that changed my entire life.

♪♪

I don't think
I'll ever forget that date.

Like, ever.

Um, I went from being, like...

...a fairly, you know, happy,

healthy, athletic freshman

to being like, "Absolutely not.

I will not step foot
in the car."

Like, "You will not
be driving me to school."

Like, "I will not
be going to school."

I think part of me
thought, like,

who's to say
this won't happen again?

♪♪

-In 2018, a woman known only
as Jane Doe in court papers

sued CMS,
accusing administrators

of covering up
her 2015 sexual assault.

In 2019,
Nikki Wombwell sued, too,

but under a pseudonym.

In June 2021,

Wombwell publicly accused CMS
of covering up her rape.

Serena Evans came forward
shortly afterward.

The CMS superintendent
assembled a task force

that was supposed to reform how
schools handled sexual assault.

But the accusations of
sexual misconduct didn't stop.

In fact, they spread.

In December, the task force
finally issued recommendations,

urging the district
to further educate students

about consequences
for sexual misconduct

and to better protect them
from retaliation.

It's not clear what,
if anything,

the district has done
with those recommendations,

and it's repeatedly
reassigned officials

accused of covering up
misconduct

to other jobs in the district.

-Myself and Serena were both
threatened with suspension

if we continued
with an investigation

and our perpetrators
were found not guilty.

CMS and the rest of the country
can and must do better. Thanks.

[ Cheers and applause ]

-It has been eight months
since I first publicly

came forward with my story.

Since then,
there have been multiple

other Myers Park victims
who have come forward.

We have not seen or heard CMS

take accountability
for their actions.

What we have heard are excuses
and false promises.

CMS, perhaps your strategy

is continuing to wait
for us to go away.

So...how's that working so far?

[ Applause ]

♪♪

One of my favorite trophies
is this one in the corner

because, like, the top of it --

Like, the tennis ball
is kind of squishy

and you can, like, turn it,
so it's, like,

really kind of cool.
[ Laughs ]

This was 1st, Southerns.

-You won Southerns.
-Yeah.

-That's what this is. Oh.

Didn't realize that that
was, like, you dominated

the entire, like, three states.

-No, it's nine states.
-Oh. Nine states.

-And she had only been playing
for nine months.

-Wow. You remember how it felt
to win Southerns?

-Yeah. I cried a lot.
[ Laughs ]

Um...

♪♪

For the last probably 11 years,

tennis has basically been
my whole life.

It was not only something that
I enjoyed, but it was something

that helped me also,
physically and mentally.

-Do you feel like what happened
at Myers Park

took tennis from you?

-I think my perpetrator
took tennis away from me.

Um, and I think the
administration at Myers Park

helped my perpetrator
take tennis away from me.

♪♪

-Three days
after the alleged attack,

Evans says she told her mom,
Kay Mayes, about it.

They filed a police report,

and Mayes e-mailed
Myers Park principal

Mark Bosco,
asking to talk immediately.

She says he didn't respond.

Days later, Evans and Mayes
met with Tyson Jeffus,

a Myers Park
assistant principal.

-The first meeting
we had with him,

he kind of
started it out with, like,

"I just want you to know that

because you were
in the boys' bathroom,

if you decide to go through
with an investigation,

you'll be the one
that is suspended

and the one
that gets in trouble."

I looked at my mom,
and I was like --

Looked back at him,
and I was like, "What?

Like, what do you mean?"

And he said, "Well, you were
in the boys' bathroom.

Like, you broke school rules.

Like, you know
that's not allowed."

And I was like -- [Scoffs]
"You're kidding me."

I was like, "Even though
it wasn't by choice?"

And he just looked at me
and he was like,

"Yeah, that's against
school rules."

Not only did he threaten me
with suspension

and that suspension
would permanently be

on my school record

and damage my chances
of getting into college,

but he also kept making sure
that we understood that, like,

we couldn't talk about this
with anyone but him.

That's a parallel to basically
what my rapist told me.

And to have your rapist
and your school

tell you
virtually the same thing...

is like...

It's honestly, like,
mind-blowing.

-Four months later, Evans says
that Tyson Jeffus asked her

to write down her account
of the alleged sexual assault.

-"So, after school that day,
I went to the locker room

in the basement of the gym
because I was going to

get dressed
for our regional tennis match.

I was surprised
to see him standing there.

And when he said hello, I said
hi back just to be polite.

He was very pushy and intense.

The more he talked
and the closer he got,

the more scared I felt.

I froze up.

I didn't know
what he was capable of.

I was terrified that he would
hit me or grab me or choke me."

♪♪

"He said something
about having to do it

before he turned 18
over the weekend."

♪♪

"He told me to go with him

to a boys' bathroom
that no one uses.

When we got to the bathroom,
he led me into one of the stalls

and locked the door.

I didn't want to think
about this stuff again,

but I'm willing to
if it will make him

get the punishment he deserves."

-Evans says she never learned

why she needed
to write this account

or what came of it.

♪♪

VICE News obtained documents
from both Tyson Jeffus

and the student
who Evans says raped her.

In one of these documents,

Jeffus confirms
that he talked to Mayes

and that Evans
alleged sexual assault.

In another, the student says
he and Evans went to a bathroom

where they were
feeling on each other,

but he denies
that it went further.

He says he didn't force her
or grab her in any way.

He was never charged
with sexually assaulting Evans.

♪♪

In the months
after Evans' allegation,

Mayes continued to reach out
to Myers Park staff.

How many e-mails
do you think you sent

to Myers Park officials?

-I think somewhere
between 50 and 60, maybe.

-And of those 50 and 60 e-mails,

how many of them
got a real response?

-Regarding the rape? None. None.

-Mayes says she lost hope
in Myers Park.

Seven months
after she first reached out,

she sent one final e-mail
to Principal Bosco.

-"Perhaps the best way for you
to acquire some sense of empathy

and some understanding from
a victim's and parent's view

is for you to begin
to think about it

as if the exact same thing

is going to happen
to your daughter.

Last thing she is expecting
in the whole wide world...

♪♪

[ Sniffles ]

[ Exhales heavily ]

...is to get raped at school."

-This is you
pouring your heart out.

What did he say in response?

-I never got a response.

-We reached out to
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools,

Mark Bosco, Tyson Jeffus,

and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police Department

about Evans' and Mayes'
allegations.

No one responded.

A district spokesperson
previously told VICE News

that CMS can't talk about
student discipline

or cases involving
ongoing investigation,

pending or settled litigation,

or otherwise confidential
student or staff data.

Evans says she ultimately

moved across Charlotte
to go to another school.

-There was no sympathy.

There was no, like,
"I'm sorry this happened,"

or, you know, like,
"We'll look into it," or...

like, "We'll talk to him."

He had no consequences.

He was allowed to continue
playing football

and continue extracurriculars

and continue
just being a normal kid.

Why is his life
more important than mine?

♪♪

-The concept that it wasn't rape

because it wasn't the first time
it had happened

made me feel really stupid.

It just really messes up
how you think about it

when you're told
that it is your fault.

♪♪

♪♪

-Myers Park High School
is enormous.

It sits on 62 acres
and has 13 buildings.

For years,
a Charlotte-Mecklenburg

police officer
served the entire school --

Bradley Leak.

At least three former students

say that they reported
to Officer Leak

that they had been
sexually assaulted

in the woods
surrounding Myers Park.

Nikki Wombwell is one of them.

-I talked to
the school resource officer,

and he told me
that it wasn't rape

because I had a prior
relationship with the student

and it wasn't the first time

that he and I had done
sexual activity together,

so he said
it didn't count as rape.

And then I went
and talked to the principal,

and he said that we could move
forward with an investigation

but just to let me know

that if they move forward
in investigation

and they decide

that he was innocent
and I was lying

that I could be suspended
for having had sex on campus.

The concept that it wasn't rape

because it wasn't the first time
it had happened

made me feel really stupid
that I kept falling for it

because that was kind
of the implication, is, like,

"Oh, if this has really been
assault this whole time,

if he really has been
threatening you this whole time,

how could you keep
letting this happen?"

And I still feel like that a lot
because of how he said it.

It just really messes up
how you think about it

when you're told
that it is your fault.

-Wombwell is one of
at least two women

who have sued CMS
and Officer Leak

over their handling
of sexual-assault allegations.

In court documents,
Officer Leak said

Wombwell reported
having sex in the woods

after her ex-boyfriend
threatened to harm himself

if she didn't.

Leak also said
that he told Principal Bosco

that there was not
sufficient evidence of a crime.

A judge dismissed Wombwell's
lawsuit against Officer Leak

because, in part,

Wombwell didn't prove
that Leak obstructed justice

or that he was deliberately
indifferent to her.

In court documents,
Bosco said that he offered

Wombwell a chance
to make a formal complaint

or to take further action,
and she turned it down.

He denied that he'd done
anything to discourage her.

Wombwell settled her lawsuit
with CMS and Mark Bosco in 2021.

They paid her $50,000,
but no one admitted guilt.

Wombwell says the student
who sexually assaulted her

has never been charged.

♪♪

-I didn't have too much faith
in CMS

when I first started the lawsuit

just because of the way
that my case had been handled,

but I was hoping that maybe
if the higher-ups at CMS

saw what was happening
that that would help

hold the people directly
responsible for my case,

like the school resource officer
and the principal accountable.

But it didn't end up that way.

♪♪

-Another former Myers Park
student says she, too,

was raped in the woods
around campus in 2014

and reported it to Leak
and a Myers Park administrator.

She asked to remain anonymous.

-I confided in my friend
what had happened,

and they told me, like, "That's
not okay. That's an assault."

We went to the school resource
officer and reported it.

Officer Leak
said he believed me

but that basically

there was nothing
he could really do for me.

He stressed that
because I had waited too long

and there was
no physical evidence

that there was nothing
they could really do

and that it wasn't really worth
the police looking into it

and that it could just come back
that they didn't believe me

or that I'd get
in trouble somehow, too,

and kind of echoed
what I was later told

by the assistant principal,
is that the most they could do

was give me a protective order
where he was told

to stay away from me on campus.

But even Officer Leak
and the assistant principal

kind of stressed
that they couldn't be

everywhere on campus at once
because it was so big,

so there's no way
the protective order

would be, like, foolproof.

So nothing really ever happened
after I reported it.

-This former student
told the same story

in a legal declaration
that she swore to under oath.

Officer Bradley Leak
was deposed in connection

to the allegations of
sexual assault at Myers Park.

And he said in this deposition

that the only reports
of sexual assault

that came out of the woods
were the ones

made by Nikki Wombwell
and Jane Doe,

who is a woman
who is still in litigation

with Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools.

Are you saying
that Bradley Leak is lying?

-Yes, because
I definitely reported to him

and had a witness there
and we met in his office,

and there's no way to get around

that there were other people
that came forward, at least me.

-Bradley Leak retired in 2018.

We sent his lawyer
a detailed list of questions

for this story.

That lawyer responded,

saying cases should be tried
in courtrooms, not newsrooms.

In August 2021,

weeks after Wombwell and Evans
came forward,

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
suspended principal Mark Bosco.

But after an investigation,

Bosco was reassigned
to a new job in the district

with a salary
of more than $150,000.

We sent a list of questions
to CMS and Bosco for this story.

They didn't get back to us,

but a CMS spokesperson
previously told us

that the district
cannot provide information

about specific
personnel matters,

such as employee suspensions.

♪♪

-Sometimes the way
that CMS treated me

and the way that CMS reacted

feels worse
than the rape itself.

♪♪

♪♪

-When a student reports
sexual harassment or assault,

there's a federal
civil rights law

that dictates
what should happen next --

Title IX.

Title IX protects against
sex discrimination in education.

It requires that schools
support students

who allege sexual misconduct,

such as by separating accused
perpetrators from their victims.

It also blocks schools from
retaliating against students

who report misconduct.

CMS accusers say the district
violated Title IX.

-Unfortunately,
it isn't uncommon

for schools to violate
students' Title IX rights

and to sweep sexual harassment
under the rug.

That is far too common
of an occurrence.

-Shiwali Patel worked for
the Department of Education's

Office of Civil Rights

and has spent years
tracking Title IX violations.

Politicians have zeroed in

on how Title IX plays out
on college campuses,

but there's been
relatively little focus

on Title IX in K-12 schools.

In the most recent data,
the Department of Education

recorded nearly 15,000 incidents
of sexual violence

at K-12 schools
in just one school year.

-It's been like that
for decades,

and yet
it's still under-reported,

so schools should really
be doing what they can

to create the culture
and environment

where students feel safe
and like they would be supported

if they came forward,
not punished.

-Do you think that
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

should be investigated
for violating Title IX?

-Yes.

When schools punish
survivors who come forward,

they're sending a strong message

to the students,
to the community

that not only will they
tolerate sexual harassment,

but that it's not safe
to come forward as a survivor

who's actively seeking support
and help from the school.

-When a school doesn't follow
Title IX,

the Department of Education's
Office of Civil Rights

is supposed to make them.

The Office of Civil Rights

investigated CMS
at least three times

between 2015 and 2017.

As of February,

the district remained
under federal monitoring.

The Department of Education
didn't respond

to requests for comment
on this story.

In court documents,
the CMS Board of Education

said that it has
effective policies

to prevent sexual harassment
and discrimination

and to ensure prompt
investigation of complaints.

What makes Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools unusual?

-See, the unfortunate reality
is that I don't think

their schools are that unusual.

A lot of students
who come forward

are punished by their schools
because they're disbelieved,

because their school then,

in deciding not to believe
the survivor,

will punish them
under a school's sex code,

might punish them
for a "false report."

These are all ways that
survivors have been punished

after they've experienced
sexual violence

because their schools
have not supported them.

-What is the impact of a school

failing to uphold
a student's Title IX rights?

-It can have
devastating consequences,

and we've seen that
over and over again.

Not only are survivors facing
emotional distress and trauma,

but sometimes they're actually
retraumatized by the schools.

♪♪

-Hi.
-Hi...

-How are you?

-I am not doing good.

-Okay.

-I had my first panic attack

in, like, a long time
after the protest.

-You knew
that this would be hard.

-Yeah. I just don't think
I realized how hard maybe.

-Yep.

-Like, my PTSD, like,
symptoms and stuff

are, like, really bad right now.

-Okay.

-And I'm, like, more depressed.

There's times
that I just don't want to,

like, be going through,
like, the pain

that I'm going through
right now.

♪♪

-Evans says she spends
about six hours each week

in various therapies.

-Let's see. My migraines
are slightly worse.

Um, I kind of had, like,
a couple steps backwards,

honestly,
with, like, emotional stuff.

Yesterday morning was, like,
really rough for me.

-Okay.
-Um...

♪♪

[ Sighs ]

-Is the way that Myers Park
responded to your report

a trauma that's coming out
for you a lot this week?

-Yes.

The way CMS responded

is definitely a continuing
kind of thing I'm dealing with.

If something happens to you,
you know, on a school campus

and you go to, you know,

those that are
supposed to protect you,

you know, your administrators,

and they tell you
that it's still your fault --

And their reaction
really messed with my head.

CMS, you know, violated me.
I mean, they did violate me.

Not physically,
but it was a violation.

Sometimes the way
that CMS treated me

and the way
that CMS reacted is --

sometimes feels worse
than the rape itself.

♪♪

-I come across
as a very put-together person,

a very, um, strong person,

and a lot of people think that
means that I'm not struggling.

But it's still there.

And I still...

take medication.

I still wake up from nightmares

and, like, I have to be held
by my fiancé.

-How much of that trauma
do you think stems from the way

that you were treated
by Myers Park

when you tried to report?

♪♪

-I would say that the way

that the aftermath happened

affected my healing
just as much,

if not more
than the actual incidents.

♪♪

-CMS, how many more lives
have to be shattered?!

How much louder
do we have to be?!

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪♪

♪♪

-We're heading
to a school board meeting

where Nikki, Serena, and others
will be sharing their stories.

They believe this is
their best chance to get

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
to listen to them.

♪♪

The CMS Board of Education

oversees district policy,
curriculum, and budget.

Wombwell and Evans hoped
that by sharing their accounts

and those of anonymous
CMS students,

the board would pay attention
to Title IX.

-We have begun
the hiring process

for approximately
53 campus security associates.

We have not found any firearms,

but some of the things
that we are finding

are vapes, tasers....

-Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
superintendent Earnest Winston

wasn't in charge of the district
when Evans and Wombwell

say they reported
being sexually assaulted.

But he has led
the district's response,

or lack thereof,
to the controversy.

Winston has a boss --
the school board,

led by chairperson Elyse Dashew.

-So, we're going to move on
to requests from the public.

And as you know, I will read
the rules, which are as follows.

Each speaker may speak
on any topic of their choice

except for
individual student matters

or specific personnel matters.

Personal attacks
will not be allowed.

Profanity or other inappropriate
language will not be allowed.

And the board reserves the right
to cut off any speaker

who violates these rules.

So, we've got Serena Evans.

-Alright.
So, my name is Serena Evans.

And I was raped on the campus

of Myers Park High School
in 2016.

There is a recurring theme
in our CMS community --

a lack of accountability
and blatant disregard

for the care and safety
of victims of harassment,

sexual assault, and rape
on our CMS campuses.

It really amazes me
that some of the administrators

who are shoving our rapes
and assaults under the rug

have children of their own

and, more specifically,
daughters.

If it was your own child,

how would you want
her rape handled?

CMS, how many more
innocent victims

is it going to take?

How many more lives
have to be shattered?!

How much louder
do we have to be?!

-Thank you, Miss Evans.

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪♪

-My name is Nikki Wombwell.

When I was 15 years old
and a sophomore

at Myers Park High School,

I was raped by an ex-boyfriend
in the woods by campus

after he told me
he had brought a gun to school.

When I reported to school
the next day,

I was largely met
with indifference.

I was then told by the principal

that if I pursued
an investigation

and the student
was found not guilty,

I could be suspended
for having had sex on campus.

This principal
has since been reassigned

to an administrative role
within the district

that previously did not exist
and pays nearly $150,000.

When you delay accountability
or meaningful change,

it sends a clear message --

you don't care.

Please show us you care.

[ Applause ]

♪♪

-Good evening.
Tonight I'll be sharing a story

from a CMS graduate
from the class of 2019.

"I was raped my freshman year
of high school.

I reported it to the school
because he went there, too.

They did nothing for me."

-I am also reading a story
from a current CMS student.

"Over the course
of these five years,

I have continuously
been a victim

of sexual harassment
and violence.

Even now, after
I've reported everything,

nothing has happened.

I am not silent.
I have been silenced."

[ Applause ]

-Okay. Alright.
Jonathan Fox.

-This is another story
from a CMS --

-Oh, yeah, I'm sorry.

People sign up
to speak for themselves.

So anybody else who has
their own testimonial

or feedback to share...

[ Applause ]

-Absolutely. Absolutely.

Is anybody else here
to speak for themselves?

-May I continue?

-No. No.

We do have rules

that we kind of
have to follow here.

But we're...

Okay. Alright. We'll break
all the rules tonight.

And please, please know

that my e-mail address

and my phone number are open
if anyone needs...

-No. No.
-...to reach out to me directly.

-Thank you.

This is a reading
from a graduate of 2019.

"When I was in the sixth grade,

three male students in my grade

sexually harassed me
every day on the ride home

from school on the bus."

♪♪

-The extent to which people
will go to silence survivors

over protecting or doing
anything to help survivors

is absolutely crazy.

Their job is to protect
their students.

To know they care so little --

They care so much
about their reputation

and so little
about their students.

-I mean, I just don't understand

how anyone wouldn't be able
to understand

why it might be hard
for someone who was assaulted...

sexually assaulted of any kind,
or raped

to, like, be able
to tell their story.

Like, I just don't understand

why anyone
would not understand that.

You know? Like...

It took me five years

to get to the point
to be able to speak up.

Like, if it wasn't for my mom,

I might have just
dropped out of school.

You know, like, if she hadn't
been there advocating for me,

then I would have had to
continue going to Myers Park

and I honestly think that
I either would have dropped out

or, you know, I might have...

just not wanted
to be here anymore.

-"Be here anymore,"
like...die?

-Yeah.

-I don't think
I can talk anymore. I'm sorry.

-That's okay. Yeah.

-[ Sobbing ]

♪♪

-I was talking to the women
who were sharing their stories.

Frankly, they were devastated.

-Hmm. Hm.

I hate that.

I do.

♪♪

♪♪

-We requested interviews

with both the school district
and the school board.

Board chairperson
Elyse Dashew agreed to speak,

but the district said that
the district and the board

were "one team"

and Dashew would speak for them.

I understand you haven't done
another on-camera interview

with anybody
about these allegations.

So I wanted to ask,
why talk to us?

Why do this interview?

-Whew. Um...

I think it's --
For me, personally,

it's really important to be able
to talk about these issues,

and it's really frustrating

with the role that I have,
being on the school board,

there are just too many
questions that I can't answer.

I mean, I'm a woman.

And I've got my own experiences,

you know, so it's very real
what I'm hearing from girls.

-Tell me about
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools'

Title IX practices
and protocols.

-Those sorts of things,

you're best to get that
information from the district.

-I did reach out to the district
to ask them for an interview,

and they told me
that the district

and the school board
are "one team" and so that

you were the best person
to put these questions to.

-Oh, that's interesting.

[ Chuckles ]

Alright. Um, yeah. No.

I mean, I can --

You know, I've told you,
like, what I can speak to,

but there's
a clear delineation between

what the district and staff do

and what school board does.

-So, tonight people came to you
and they asked you

to find accountability
for something

that you're saying the district
should be held accountable for.

I guess I'm wondering,
what is the point, then,

of coming to the school board
and asking for help?

-It is always good

to bring concerns and issues

and even ideas

about how to do things better
to us.

But anything action-related
in the schoolhouse,

that's going to be driven
by staff.

-I guess I'm confused, then,

how people can expect
the school board

to hold the school district
accountable.

-If -- When there are serious --

You know, when you've got
serious issues in a district,

you do hold your staff
accountable.

-So I did want to talk
about some of the personnel

changes in the district.

You know, Mark Bosco, who is the
former Myers Park principal,

he was reassigned
to a new job in the district.

He still has
a six-figure salary.

Tyson Jeffus, a Myers Park
assistant principal,

is still the school's
assistant principal.

The former principal
and assistant principal

at Hawthorne Academy

are still working
for the district.

If those people did nothing
wrong, why were they reassigned?

-That's one of those things
where it's not the board --

It's not what
the school board does.

It's just not our job.

-There are some very strong
allegations that are being made

about Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School officials

covering up
sexual-assault reports.

What actions have been taken
to address those allegations?

-See, that's -- that's making it
look like I'm the person

who would take those actions,

which would really
muddy the waters, so...

-So if it's not
the school board,

who are they
supposed to be going to?

-You know, we're listening.

I can't speak for the
superintendent, you know,

but he's taken a lot of actions.

-I was talking to the women
who were sharing their stories,

and they felt that the attempt
to not have some people speak

was silencing them.

-Hm.
-Why did you do that?

-Yeah, so, basically, Charlie
reminded me we have this rule.

And then when the students
pointed out, like,

they really needed
to read these, and so...

...I threw the rule away
tonight.

-I talked to them afterward,
and they did not feel supported.

They were in tears.

I mean, frankly,
they were devastated.

-Hm.

I hate that.

I do.

-I guess they're not asking
for feelings or even sympathy.

I think
they're asking for change.

♪♪

-It's a school board meeting.

I don't know if they expected
to come and...

You know.

I mean, there's --
Like I said,

the superintendent
has this task-force report.

I can't speak for that.
I just can't.

I'm proud of the kids
for speaking up.

And I get that there's some kids

who are, you know...

They're really unhappy.

-Well.
-And on that note...

-Thank you
for sitting down with us.

-I can read you the e-mail.
Give me one second.

"It's my understanding
that you'll attend

the Board of Education
meeting Tuesday evening

and interview
Chair Dashew afterwards.

As we are one team,

that will serve
as the district's opportunity

to respond to questions
of importance to your audience.

Thank you."

-The superintendent's task force
is not the board's task force.

-What I'm getting out of this
conversation with Chair Dashew

is that the board
is not the group to go to

if you're looking for change;
the district is.

And then the district
won't speak to me.

-I can't answer
why the superintendent

won't speak to you.

At the end of the day,
the board will act

once the superintendent
makes a recommendation.

Now, what they will do
with that information,

I can't promise
what that action will be.

Nor can she. She's one of nine.

It's frustrating because...

you watch someone
like Serena Evans

and that guttural reaction,
it's tough.

I'm a father of two daughters.

I get it. It's hard to watch.
It's painful.

I know how much this board
wants everyone to be safe

in our schools.

-Do you think people are safe
in your schools?

-I send my daughter
to these schools.

Do I think we're perfect? No.

This is a nationwide
societal issue.

It's not unique to CMS.

-Six weeks after our interview,
the CMS Board of Education

fired Superintendent
Earnest Winston.

An investigation uncovered,
in part,

concerns about his handling
of Title IX.

[ Toy squeaking ]

-Luca!

[ Toy squeaking ]

-Evans is now suing CMS.
-[ Laughs ]

-She says she won't settle and
is determined to go to trial.

-Okay! Bring it back!

-In the wake
of everything that happened

at the school board meeting,
do you plan

to keep going back
to those meetings?

-I don't think that me going
back to any board meetings

is going to change the minds
of the board members.

I don't think
it's going to make CMS

just out of nowhere
decide to help us out.

I mean, if they were gonna
help us, they would have.

Now we need to go higher up

than CMS,
than the Board of Education.

We want
the Department of Education

to investigate CMS as a whole.

♪♪

-I think
people don't like to admit

that sexual assaults happen

in middle and high schools
or even elementary schools,

especially because
not only is that admitting

that this happens to children,

but also admitting
that young people,

mostly young boys or men,

are capable
of this sort of thing.

♪♪

Rape culture is so prevalent
in our society

that a 15-year-old boy

is capable of raping
his ex-girlfriend.

♪♪

There's a lot of ugly truths.

You have to look in the mirror
if you admit that.

♪♪