Boy, six, switches schools after 'sex harrassment' case

A boy of just six who was suspended after being accused of sexually harassing a classmate has transferred to a new school in Massachusetts, following an apology to his parents.

Officials at Downey Elementary School in Brockton apologised at a meeting on Thursday, said the boy’s mother, Berthena Dorinvil. The boy transferred to another school yesterday.

“They said they learned a lesson and they said they will go over the rules to change things,” she said.

The boy was suspended on January 30 for three days after the school said he put his fingers under a girl’s waistband.

His mother had called the suspension outrageous, saying she could not even explain the accusation to her son because of his age.

Brockton schools define sexual harassment among pupils, in part, as “uninvited physical contact such as touching, hugging, patting or pinching”.

School officials had refused to transfer the boy, so the parents enlisted the help of an educational advocate.

“I’m pleased that a resolution was arrived at mutually,” said superintendent Basan Nembirkow.