HENRY COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Henry County School officials finally responded to CBS Atlanta's inquiries after a teen said she was forcefully dragged into a locker room and raped at Union Grove High School on Thursday afternoon.
District spokesman JD Hardin responded by email.
"This appears to be an isolated incident," Hardin said. "We take most seriously the safety and security of our students, staff, and faculty. There is no tolerance for activities that jeopardize the safety and security of any member of our school community."
Henry County Sheriff Chief Deputy David Foster confirmed a 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the incident. He's been charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment and enticing a child for indecent purposes. More charges may be coming.
The victim's mother spoke exclusively to CBS Atlanta's Sonia Moghe on Saturday. She said school officials have agreed to allow her to look at surveillance video showing her daughter with the alleged perpetrator moments before the incident.
The mother explained what school officials said they saw in that video.
"At first, it looked like they were just friends, the guy was walking with her - with his arm around her - and I guess coerced her into a room," the mother said. "My daughter told me that he wanted to tell her something. She knew him so she thought it was fine. Once inside the room, he started to attack her and grab on her and she said, 'No no, no.'"
She said school officials describe the footage of the boy dragging the victim into a locker room as "disturbing."
"She's holding onto the door, he's pulling her - he actually lifts her feet and then she falls and he drags her into the locker room," the mother said.
The mother broke down in tears when she described what her daughter told her happened in that locker room.
"She says she was trying to fight him off and he then took his hand and forcefully went down inside of her under clothes and forcefully violated her," the mother said.
Now, the mother wants to know what Henry County Schools is going to do to make sure students are safe at school, even during extracurricular activities.
"There was absolutely no one around, no one heard her screaming," the mother said.
Hardin said that the district has law enforcement posted in schools, as well as surveillance cameras. But the victim's mother doesn't think that's enough.
"What good is the surveillance if no one is surveying it?" the mother asked. "If no one is monitoring it?"
The mother said she came to CBS Atlanta because of previous stories of a sexual assault that happened at another Henry County School.
"I feel like there is definitely something going on in this county as far as securing and keeping our children safe, and something needs to be done about it," she said.
Henry County sheriff's officials said the boy who has been charged will not return to Union Grove High School.
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