UPDATE: The Athletic Director for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools announced policy changes on Friday following a protest at Olympic High School.
“Sometimes we have to make tough decisions and in this incidence, we did not make the right call,” said Ericia Turner, the CMS Athletic Director.
Turner continued, “moving forward. Any student athlete that is arrested or charged for a criminal offense will not be allowed to participate in athletics while the charges are pending.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Students at Olympic High School in southwest Charlotte are protesting outside of the school Friday morning in response to an alleged sexual assault that happened at the location.
Click here to watch video on Twitter.
The student-ran protest at the school was initiated after protestors said they did not feel safe.
Police said a 15-year-old was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of another teen at the school on September 14th.
According to reports, female students do not feel their concerns are being heard after the 15-year-old suspect, who is also a student athlete, was allowed to take the field at a football game.
Click here to watch video on Twitter.
Officials from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and CMPD were on the scene at the time of the protest.
The CMS made the following statement about the protest at Olympic High School:
CMS has taken action to protect classroom instruction at Olympic High School from disruption and to maintain safety of students in the classroom. These actions also will protect the safety of the school’s student-athletes during practices and competition. We cannot provide any further detail of those actions and cannot comment about any individual student due to FERPA.
The district is aware of a student-driven demonstration planned for today at Olympic High School. CMS and school leaders support the right of students to demonstrate when they feel such expression is necessary. School leaders have met with student organizers and are working to minimize disruption to the learning day while offering students the opportunity to share their concerns.
In view of recent events, district leadership is reviewing procedures related to eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities. We will share any changes in current procedures when any such changes occur.
The accused suspect and Olympic High School student was charged with attempted second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, and sexual battery in September, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
