DAMASCUS, Md. — The Montgomery County Public Schools investigation into alleged rapes in a Damascus High School locker room concluded, school officials announced Tuesday.
Police said the sexual assaults happened after school dismissed Oct. 31, 2018 inside the boy's locker room and involved suspects and victims who are all Damascus High School students.
The incident was connected to hazing with players on the junior varsity football team, according to Damascus High School superintendent. The team forfeited its game the day after.
Prosecutors said the suspects may have targeted at least one of their victims for bullying for the entire school year. Then on the last day of football practice, the sophomores allegedly invaded the freshman locker room, turned out the lights, tackled one young man after the other and either raped or attempted to rape each of them in the rectum with a broomstick.
In a release sent out Tuesday, Jack R. Smith, the superintendent sent out the findings of the internal investigation.
He said there was a clear lack of supervision expectations and a player supervision plan for the junior varsity players. For about 25 minutes, the boys' locker room was not supervised, he said, between the time the varsity team leaves the locker room to start practice and before the JV team reports to the field.
Smith said the JV coaches typically responsible were "delayed in their arrival" and their delays weren't "adequately communicated" to other staff to make sure someone was watching the students.
"While there is nothing to suggest the coaches could have reasonably expected a sexual assault to occur in the locker room in the absence of supervision, the lack of protocols in place to ensure coverage in the locker room is unacceptable," Smith wrote.
Smith said the report also found the coaches involved law enforcement within a reasonable amount of time, and said MCPS is reviewing their policies and re-emphasizing the need for vigilance in reporting of sexual assault allegations.
He said the district can't reveal specific personnel actions but did "proceed in taking appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the employee code of conduct."
Casey Crouse, the school's principal, announced her resignation earlier this month. Crouse said the acting principal will begin May 13.
The school's athletic director was also let go from his position, Smith said Tuesday. He said the former director is still a teacher in the system and is being reassigned to another school.
Smith confirmed the JV coach was no longer working for MCPS.
Smith did not reveal any disciplinary actions taken against the varsity head football coach during the press conference, but it appears that coach will return to his same position next season.
The four 15-year-old suspects were initially charged as adults, but the judge has now transferred all of the defendants to juvenile court.
The entire football program will be under "probationary oversight" by the MCPS Systemwide Athletics Unit for the coming school year, Smith said. That means the football program will be closely monitored by district officials.
It is unclear what would happen if the program were to be found in violation of that probation.
"I know this incident and the subsequent investigations have caused sadness, frustration, and anxiety in the community," Smith said. "Please know that we would have liked to have moved more quickly on this matter, but MCPS was required to wait so that the State’s Attorney’s Office could move forward with its criminal investigation without interference or prejudice."
Smith added MCPS hired an outside law firm to conduct an external review of reporting practices and supervision of athletics and extracurricular activities.
Below is the announcement sent out regarding the internal investigation on Tuesday.