East High principal apologizes for MMSD security coordinator\'s statement on alleged sexual assault

The upper 50s.

The east high school principal is apologizing for statements made by the madison school district's head of security about an alleged sexual assault inside the school last week.

We're also learning more about what happened in that incident... amanda quintana is here with more on what we know tonight ... tonight we're learning through a search warrant to get d-n-a from one of the two 15-year-old boys arrested... that the victim claims one of the them took her backpack and ran, to get her into a bathroom... police say then the second boy entered and they both sexually assaulted her... surveillance video confirms both boys were in that bathroom at east high.

Yesterday... we asked safety and security coordinator joe balles about security after school.

The backlash came from this response.

((("10:45 amanda: "when parents see that this happened on school grounds, it worries them because if they're being told there's security there, how does something like this happen?

What do you say to parents?"

Joe: our buildings are full of kids and kids will be kids.

As terrible and tragic as that incident sounds, i would just ask that people just be patient.

They're juveniles, our schools are very safe, you know, but there are incidents that are going to happen from time to time 11:16"))) this statement from the madison school district's safety and security coordinator was quick to gain backlach... many parents upset by the "kids will be kids" comment.

A story about security measures to prevent more violence, has some feeling the district is minimizing the severity of last week's alleged sexual assault.

East high principal mike hernandez apologizing for balles' statement in a letter.

Saying "part of trauma sensitive schools is looking at the experiences students and staff have in our building that are traumatic or could trigger trauma responses."

Balles has also released a statement, calling it "an extremely poor word choice."

He says he was speaking about students in the building in general.

Admitting "still, i should have not made those comments in a story on this topic.

It is never ok to rationalize, minimize or excuse sexual assault, and there is no excuse for my words."

((("erin: 51:00 it really just perpetuated this rape culture that allowed for somebody to be raped on school grounds after school and that's what we work every day to counteract 13"))) the rape crisis center saying they were deeply troubled by his words... sticking to their mission - that sexual assault is preventable.

((("51:51 when you make a statement like that there is an assumption that boys can not help but be sexually agressive to girls and that is not the case 58"))) principal hernandez and the district say they will be partnering with the rape crisis center to make sure students and staff are learning about rape culture, sexual assault and consent... something the rape crisis center says can be taught.

They're constantly repeating that messaging in our local schools.

Amanda