High school student wins court case over “rapist in school” warning

A judge in the United States has moved to block a high school girl’s suspension from school after she posted a note warning fellow students that a “rapist” was among them.

Back in September, school officials in Cape Elizabeth, Mane accused 15-year-old Aela Mansmann of bullying after she posted notes in her high school’s toilets for girls. Last Thursday a judge barred the imposed suspension on Mansmann, ordering a temporary stay on the punishment citing a possible breach of her rights to free speech.

Her family’s lawsuit against Cape Elizabeth High School is still pending, as reported by the BBC.

On September 16, Mansmann posted to notes in two of the girls’ bathrooms in Cape Elizabeth High School that read: “There’s a rapist in the school and you know who it is.” School administrators found out about the notes after another student submitted them. After an internal investigation, Mansmann was identified through camera footage.

As punishment, administrators imposed a three-day suspension on Mansmann and two other girls over alleged bullying. Results of the district’s investigation revealed that one male student in the school felt he was the subject of the notes and was alienated by his peers. The experience reportedly forced him to skip out on classes.

Mansmann defended herself against the allegations in an interview with CBS news. She said that targeting one person was not the intention of her notes. Instead, she claims that they were written to highlight the issue of sexual assault in the high school set-up.