Oakton High School: 16-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted on Band Trip — Officials Joked, Evidence Lost, FCPS Settled for $587,500
In 2017, a 16-year-old student identified as “Jane Doe” was sexually assaulted on the first night of a five-day Oakton High School band trip. A School Resource Officer (SRO) made a joke about the assault. School officials subsequently lost signed witness statements, notes, and text messages. School Board Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer quietly signed a settlement paying $587,500 to end the civil lawsuit.
Key Facts
Timeline of Events
Every date and fact below is cited to its source. Click the bracketed links to verify.
16-year-old sexually assaulted on first night of five-day band trip
A 16-year-old Oakton High School student, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” was sexually assaulted by an older classmate on the first night of a five-day band trip. The assault occurred on a school bus while the student was under the supervision and care of school officials.
Security officer jokes about the assault
A School Resource Officer (SRO) sent a text making a “one time at band camp” joke (referencing the movie American Pie) about the reported sexual assault. The principal responded to a separate email about snowfall on the return trip with: “how many inches under the blanket or on the ground?”
Witness statements and evidence lost
School officials lost copies of signed witness statements from the victim, the accused, and two witnesses, as well as notes and text messages exchanged between officials. FCPS later stated the loss was “inadvertent” and occurred “well before we had notice of the lawsuit.”
Jane Doe sues Fairfax County Public Schools
The victim filed a civil lawsuit against Fairfax County Public Schools over the sexual assault and the school’s handling of the case.
School Board Chair quietly signs $587,500 settlement
Rather than face a public trial that would expose the full extent of official misconduct, School Board Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer quietly signed a settlement paying $587,500 of taxpayer money to resolve the civil lawsuit. The settlement allowed FCPS to avoid a full public accounting of what happened on the band trip and how officials responded.
Part of a broader pattern of FCPS sexual assault failures
The Oakton band trip case is not an isolated incident. FCPS had additional outstanding investigations with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for handling of sexual assault and harassment. The district also accidentally released tens of thousands of confidential documents, including the names of alleged sexual assault victims whose cases the district had been fighting.
What Went Wrong
Officials Mocked the Victim
A School Resource Officer (SRO) made a 'band camp' joke about the assault. The principal made an innuendo about 'inches under the blanket.' Instead of taking the report seriously, officials treated it as a laughing matter.
Evidence Lost
Signed witness statements from the victim, the accused, and two witnesses were lost by school officials, along with notes and text messages. FCPS claimed the loss was 'inadvertent.'
Quiet Settlement to Avoid Scrutiny
School Board Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer quietly signed a $587,500 settlement — using taxpayer money — rather than allowing a full public trial.
Who Is Responsible
Context: A Pattern of Cover-Ups in FCPS
The Oakton band trip case is part of a documented pattern of Fairfax County Public Schools failing to protect students from sexual assault and then covering up the failures:
- •At Rachel Carson Middle School, a 12-year-old girl alleged she was repeatedly raped by a group of older boys over five months. Staff told her to “be a big girl” and accused her of having “a part” in the abuse. Five staffers involved in the alleged cover-up still worked at FCPS as of 2023.
- •FCPS had additional outstanding investigations with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for handling of sexual assault and harassment
- •FCPS accidentally released tens of thousands of confidential documents, including names of alleged sexual assault victims whose cases the district had been fighting
- •In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights reprimanded then-Superintendent Karen Garza for mishandling the Rachel Carson case under Title IX
All Sources
Every fact on this page is sourced from the following reporting. We encourage you to read the original articles and verify every claim.
- Fairfax Times: “FCPS pays $587,500 to settle one sexual assault case, fights another”
- Public Justice: “Doe v. Fairfax County School Board”
- Patch: “Oakton School Officials Joked About Alleged Assault Report”
- FOX 5 DC: “Lawsuit: Fairfax County Student Sexually Assaulted on Band Trip”
- Fairfax Times: “Five staffers in alleged rape cover-up still work at Fairfax County Public Schools”
- The 74: “Exposed documents from Virginia’s Fairfax Schools include names of alleged assault victims”
- Stop Sexual Assault in Schools: “Fairfax County Public School District fails students in shameful sex abuse cover-up case”
They joked. They lost evidence. They paid to make it go away.
A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on a school trip. Officials laughed about it, lost witness statements, and used $587,500 of your tax dollars to quietly settle. No one was held accountable.
Related Incidents
Rachel Carson Middle School Gang Rape Cover-Up
A 12-year-old girl alleged she was gang raped over five months. Staff told her to 'be a big girl.' Five staffers involved still worked at FCPS a decade later. Federal OCR reprimanded the superintendent.
Teacher Gropes 10-Year-Olds; No Jail Time, 22-Day Parent Notification Delay
Strings teacher John Barger groped two students ages 10-11. FCPS waited 22 days to notify parents. Barger received a suspended sentence — no jail time — and forfeited his teaching license.
Adult Illegal Alien Gropes 12+ Girls at Fairfax High
Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, an 18-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was enrolled as a junior and serially groped approximately 12 female students over months. Charged with misdemeanors. County refused ICE detainer.