ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico announced on Dec. 2 that it will be joining a lawsuit against the Española School District, its board, the Española Police Department and the district’s private security contractor, ProSec. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight students who were allegedly victimized by school security guards and other students.
The charges include several accusations of sexual assault by a former ProSec security guard, the Rio Grande Sun reports. The students also claim that the district failed to protect them against bullying.
“Española Public Schools is failing to provide a safe educational environment for their students to learn and grow,” said ACLU Co-legal Director Phil Davis in a recent ACLU press release. “Their deliberate indifference has allowed bullying to go unchecked in the district’s middle and high schools.”
The ACLU posted several videos on its Web site to demonstrate that the district is not properly addressing bullying in its schools. The videos, believed to have been taken by students, show several violent incidents occurring during school hours without the interference of school officials.
