Mom Says Blind Son Was Sexually Assaulted at School

An investigation is underway after a mother told police her blind 9-year-old son was sexually assaulted at his school.

The mother said her son was assaulted on April 23 at the Overbrook Educational Center on Lansdowne Avenue in Philadelphia. The boy told her he was inappropriately touched inside a bathroom on the second floor.

“He said, ‘yes mommy, somebody touched me in school,’” said the mother, who we are not identifying. “So I started crying. I got real nervous. When I asked him who it was, since he can only see shadows, he said, ‘mommy, it was a big student.’”

The mother took her son to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She also said she noticed a bruise on his backside so she called Philadelphia Police. The Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit is currently handling the investigation.

“I haven’t received anything from the school district,” the mother said. “Nobody has called me not even to say, ‘we’re working on it.’”

Fernando Gallard, a spokesman for the Philly School District, told NBC10 Overbrook Educational Center took the allegations seriously and conducted an internal investigation.

“They were not able to find anything in regards to leading to the allegations that the mom explained,” Gallard said.

Gallard said an assistant was outside the bathroom, as is required, at the time when the boy said the alleged assault took place.

The boy has not been back in the school since April 23.

“Nothing is going to make me feel safe,” his mother said. "It happened once when it shouldn't have happened. And twice? Who's going to tell me that the third time something worse might happen?"

Gallard told NBC10 the district will continue to work with the mother and her son. 

“We want to continue working with the child,” he said. “We want the child to be back in school.”

The mother told NBC10 a school district official will place her son in another school Thursday. Police meanwhile continue to investigate.