EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A high school student has sued East St. Louis School District 189 for preventing her from going back inside her school to call for a ride home after she had missed her bus.

According to the complaint, prior to the incident, the student had met with her counselor but was denied reentry to the school after she discovered she had missed her bus. As the victim walked to a local bus station, she was abducted at gunpoint by a group of men. One of the four kidnappers later raped her.

The victim’s mother claims the school supported a policy allowing students to meet with staff after school, even if it meant they would miss their rides home. The policy that didn’t allow students to reenter the school left them stranded in a notoriously high-crime area. The mother claims the district was aware of the criminal activity surrounding the school and at the bus station but implemented and continued its non-reentry policy anyway.

The complaint alleges the district failed to provide safe entry by allowing criminals to loiter and others to consume alcohol and drugs. Untrimmed bushes also prevented safe ingress, according to the lawsuit.

East St. Louis School District 189, the principal, superintendent and Bi-State Development Agency are defendants in the case. The victim is seeking more than $525,000 in damages.

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