The teen handed the note to her chorus teacher on June 16, 2021, asking that he get it to the right people. But, according to court records, the sexual assault allegations would not reach authorities for months — even as the letter was passed between leadership at the school in Wellington, about 70 miles north of Miami. Law enforcement officials would later find evidence corroborating the assault claims.
“The allegations involving students occurred off of school property and over a weekend,” Ledford said. “However, no matter when or where any alleged assault against a student occurs, our policy aligns with the law, which requires all personnel to report suspected abuse.” Months later, on Aug. 16, 2021, the assault allegations came back to the forefront when they were reported to the assistant principal, Snider, according to the affidavit. The victim was called to the school’s main office a day later and asked to give a statement to Assistant Principal Cayado de Garcia and Principal Edgecomb, the affidavit stated. She did, explaining her assault and identifying a witness. Then she met again with Carter.During an Aug.