Education

Mpls. School Evaluates Safety After Sex Assaults

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― Minneapolis school officials are reviewing safety and security at a high school after two students were charged in a string of sexual assaults that allegedly occurred at the school.

A letter was sent earlier this month to parents of students at Henry High School. Principal Gary Kociemba told families the Minneapolis Public Schools will have a safety and security team perform an assessment at the school "to help prevent future incidents from occurring."

The district's other six high schools will get similar reviews this summer, district spokesman Ross Bennett said.

Two students -- 18-year-old Raevon Conner and a 17-year-old boy -- have both been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly forcing a girl to perform oral sex in a secluded area of the school.

Police accuse the pair of working in tandem between classes to scout out victims. They would lure a girl to an isolated stairwell and take turns sexually assaulting her while the other acted as a lookout, police said.

The investigation began after a 15-year-old girl told a school official she was forced to have sex in a basement stairway. Police found three more victims under 17 who had claimed being assaulted before June 4.

Conner was arrested earlier this month, and the other suspect was identified through a series of detailed interviews. Police arrested him Wednesday.

"This was taken seriously as soon as it was reported," said Lt. Nancy Dunlap, sex crimes unit leader for the Minneapolis Police Department.

School officials said they are deeply concerned about the reported sexual assaults, which allegedly happened during school hours.

"It certainly surprises me there's this kind of activity over there," school board chairwoman Lydia Lee said. "I thought they made considerable progress addressing the climate at the school."

At Henry, which is consistently recognized for its rigorous academic programs, assistant principal Steve Simondet called the incidents "a real tragedy." Conner is an honor-roll student, football player and a member of the school's state championship poetry slam team.

Lee said the school and district officials aren't at fault for the incidents.

"We try hard, this is really important to us that all students are safe," Lee said. "We believed we implemented all the safety measures we needed, but somebody figured out another strategy."

Sgt. Melissa Banham of the Minneapolis Police Department said there could be more victims who haven't come forward yet out of fear. She and Dunlap are encouraging parents to talk to their children about the assaults.

"This wasn't one situation where somebody made a mistake," Dunlap said. "This is serious."

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