Houston, TX – A 13-year-old who raped a 4-year-old twice at Clear Creek ISD Elementary School has been allowed back at school.
The sexual assault was captured on the school’s surveillance cameras.
“He’s a big guy. He is almost 200-pounds,” said Diana Hamm, the child’s grandmother. “It was quite brutal. We certainly would have never seen it coming.”
Hamm added that the teenager, who was on campus because his mother is a teacher at the school, “pled guilty to a first degree felony, not only for the rape in the bathroom, but the rape on the gym floor.”
The teen was sentenced to two years of probation in January, which Hamm said wasn’t enough. She also said she was upset that the boy has been allowed back in a Clear Creek ISD school.
“Unfortunately, the way it’s set up, they actually get more protection than the victims themselves,” Hamm said. “You cannot protect the other children unless you know who they are or segregate them away from the general public.”
Hamm said she believed the 13-year-old should attend an alternative school or be banned from the entire school district.
Clear Creek ISD said it follows strict guidelines when an offender is allowed back in regular classes, but Hamm said parents have the right to know if a convicted sex offender is attending their child’s school. Hamm also said her grandson is now going to kindergarten and is receiving therapy.
Clear Creek ISD issued a statement Monday, which reads in part:
“Minors convicted of a sexual offense are placed in an Alternative Education Placement environment consistent with the Texas Education Code. This facility is separate from a campus and is located in a different location. By law and by practice, CCISD can provide general education services to those minors convicted of certain serious offenses until graduation.”
“The only exception to this practice is governed by Federal law. This exception is in reference to students with disabilities, and applies in cases where his/her disabilities have been determined to play a role in their actions. Federal law prohibits school districts from placing students with disabilities in an Alternative Education Placement for more than 45 days. Following the 45 days, the student is then placed on his or her regular campus and other measures are taken to ensure that the student receives appropriate special education services and is adequately supervised in accordance with any applicable court orders.”
Do you think the 13-year-old should be allowed back on campus? Was two years probation too light a sentence?