Student protest were held at two Tucson schools over a sexual assault and violence policy concern stemming from an incident that occurred last week.
A group of students protested at Marana High School following the reports of sexual assault and violence on its campus. Students strongly believed the reports had not been properly addressed by the school or the Marana Unified School District administration.
After videos of the protests were shared on social media, MUSD’s other high school, Mountain View High School notified parents on Friday that a peaceful protest was held during lunch on campus.
According to Marana Unified School District, approximately 200 Mountain View students assembled in the plaza. The protest consisted of students chanting and cheering after student speakers shared information.
The district shared that several of the high school’s teachers, counselors and administrators joined the students and provided them with support. The participating students returned to class when the lunch bell rang without incident.
“At Mountain View and in the District, we take allegations of sexual assault very seriously. It is also our legal obligation related to Title IX policy,” MUSD officials shared Friday afternoon. “Any concern we have received related to sexual assault/violence has been promptly investigated. This school year, MUSD has not received any Title IX formal complaints.”
On Tuesday, MUSD released the following statement in regards to the protest at Marana High School:
Yesterday at Marana High School, a group of students formed a protest, stating that there had been reports of sexual assault/violence on campus, which they believed had not properly been addressed by the school or District administration. The protest began peacefully and school and District administrators listened to students’ concerns. Over time, the protest became increasingly disruptive to the school day and administrators asked the students to return to class at approximately 1:50, ending the protest.
MUSD has stringent protocol and processes for managing sexual assault allegations, and every concern we have received related to this event or similar events have been promptly investigated and/or turned over to local law enforcement agencies when necessary. School and District leaders will continue to follow up on the students’ concerns that were shared during the protest.
At MHS and in MUSD, we take allegations of sexual assault very seriously, as it is our legal obligation related to Title IX. Equally as important is our commitment to our students, staff and families that we provide a safe learning environment. This school year, MUSD has not received any Title IX complaints. Any individual, student or staff member is encouraged to use proper channels to report any potential cases of sexual assault, violence or discrimination, which we will follow up on and work with local law enforcement agencies when appropriate. More information about Title IX can be found on our website.
Marana Unified School District
