Arabic version: أسرة تتساءل عن واجب الرعاية في مدرسة بالإقليم الشمالي

According to ABC News, the family of a 12-year-old girl with disabilities has accused the Northern Territory Department of Education of failing in its duty of care after she was allegedly indecently assaulted by another student at a school for children with disabilities. Police are investigating allegations of indecent touching involving two children with known cognitive impairments.

The girl’s mother was contacted by the school in April about an alleged incident involving inappropriate touching in a school bathroom. A school incident report obtained by ABC News said a teacher noticed the girl and a boy from the same class had not returned after separately leaving for the bathroom. The teacher later found the students in the boys’ bathroom, in the same cubicle, according to the report.

The report said the girl told staff the boy had told her to go into the bathroom, pulled down her pants and touched her “on the butt”. It said the boy did not answer questions but nodded when staff read him the girl’s account and asked whether it was correct. Strict rules prevent publication of details that could identify the children or school.

The family said the girl has autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, and questioned why she had been unsupervised. Her education adjustment plan included reminders to close the toilet door, while a cognitive assessment shared with ABC News found she required “significant supervision in daily living environments” and had limited independent safety awareness. Her grandfather said she has refused to attend school since the incident and that the impact on the family had been “heartbreaking”.

The grandfather also criticised the school’s response, including its notification of the family and what he described as insufficient psychological support for the girl. The Department of Education said it recognised the distress caused and would continue working with the school, family and relevant authorities to support student safety and wellbeing. Acting deputy chief executive for schools Marinda Watt said the matter remained under investigation and the department could not comment further on individual details. NT Police said investigations were ongoing.