Orting parents file suit alleging daughter, 6, was sexually assaulted by first-grader

TACOMA, Wash. -- A family is suing the Orting School District alleging their 6-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted, harassed and bullied by a female first-grade classmate last school year.

The girl's parents, who aren't being named to protect the identity of the child, say district employees were informed of the classmate's "propensity to act out sexually with her peers." They blame the district for not protecting their daughter.

The suit filed last week in Pierce County Superior Court says the parents even notified the district before the abuse occurred that their daughter had post-traumatic stress disorder and was "susceptible to sexual abuse."

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of money to compensate for “physical, medical and psychological” injuries to the girl.

Seattle Attorney Don Austin, who is representing the district, says the district has different views than the girl's family on the facts of the case.

The district hasn't yet filed an official response to the allegations.

Orting police told The News Tribune that the department had no reports about the incidents.

Orting is 20 miles southeast of Tacoma.