Seattle, Washington – A girl known by the pseudonym of Emily Miller (to protect her privacy) went on a school overnight field trip to a National Park in 2012. As a young and inexperienced 15-year-old girl, she left her cabin room to go to the bed of a fellow classmate. Quite likely, she was intent on some foible of youth, but the experience turned violent. She was raped suffering vaginal and anal interference. Things did not get better for Emily after she reported the incident.
Her high school was bound by Federal Title IX to follow a strictly defined protocol in dealing with incidences of sexual abuse or violence. The penalty for failure to adhere to Title IX is a loss of federal funding for the school and possibly school district. While the school was aware of this, the Millers were not. The school largely turned a blind eye to the entire incident. While Emily sank into depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), her assailant returned back to school where it is reported he was well treated by his peers.
The ugly truth is that with no one to challenge him, the young man took command of the narrative and framed it most favorably for himself. At times he accused Emily of a frame job and at other times he painted himself as a savvy guy who scored himself a “good lay”. Her family incurred $50,000 worth of medical and psychological expenses.
They have now filed a Title IX complaint and the Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Education has agreed to investigate. At last count, the investigation into Title IX non-compliance had been expanded to multiple schools and universities in the area.