Maine Teen Says She Was Suspended for Bullying for Calling Out Alleged Rapists at School
Aela Mansmann snapped a picture of the Post-it note she stuck on the mirror of a bathroom at Cape Elizabeth High School that read, "There's a rapist in our school and you know who it is."
High school students are walking out of a Maine school in protest after a 15-year-old girl was suspended for posting a warning about an alleged rapist among them.
Aela Mansmann snapped a picture of the Post-it note she stuck on the mirror of a bathroom at Cape Elizabeth High School that read, "There's a rapist in our school and you know who it is."
But she ended up being the one who got suspended, accused of bullying. In addition to her, two other students were suspended as a result of the sticky notes investigation.
For her part, Aela told Inside Edition she was shocked by the suspension. She said she never specifically named anyone but she believes there are multiple rapists walking the halls of her school because of the stories her friends have shared.
The school said in a statement: "It is important to understand, however, that when a student’s speech bullies another student, we are required by law and by school board policy to investigate and take prompt action, even if that same student has also spoken out on a matter of public concern," the statement reads. "We are not able to comment on the specific student matter recently reported in the press because of confidentiality laws, but we can say that we are confident that the matter was exhaustively investigated and that we took the action that law and policy require."
On Monday, 50 students, some from other schools in the area, walked out in support of the suspended students.
In a letter to parents Wednesday, Principal Jeffrey Shed said it was a "bad choice" for the students to express themselves on Post-it notes in the bathroom.
"To the adults, including adults in the media, who are giving credence to the sticky note assertions made with zero support in any findings following a school or legal investigatory process, shame on you," Shedd said. "You are passing along rumors as if they were established fact. They are not."
District officials say there is no rapist and the students are safe.
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