Philadelphia police are investigating allegations that a girl at Fels High School in the Northeast was sexually assaulted by two ninth graders in a classroom closet Tuesday.
The substitute teacher in charge of the class told officials that he had not seen the students and had not known they were in the closet. The teacher has been barred from working in the district pending an investigation of whether he failed to supervise the classroom, Philadelphia School District officials said yesterday.
The 14-year-old student, also a ninth grader, told administrators and school police that while on the way to lunch Tuesday, two male students had pulled her into the classroom closet and sexually assaulted her.
District spokeswoman Felicia Ward said all three students agreed they had been in the closet, but gave differing accounts of what happened.
The boys told officials that the sexual activity had been consensual, and that the girl had entered the closet willingly and only later claimed she had been grabbed and assaulted, Ward said.
The girl did not require medical attention.
The boys have been suspended for five days pending the outcome of procedures to transfer them to disciplinary schools. They were questioned by police Tuesday night and released.
The students were not assigned to the substitute's classroom, and it was unclear whether the ninth graders were in the closet before the class began, Ward said.
Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall@phillynews.com.
