A federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit against the Texarkana, Ark., School District that alleged the district was liable for damages stemming from a sexual assault in the high school boys’ locker room.

“School districts do not have a generally affirmative obligation to protect individuals,” U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes told jurors Friday morning. “The Civil Rights Act is to protect individuals against acts by the school district, not against each other.”

I only see a small part of this story but maybe a reader knows-was this case dismissed because the plaintiffs tried to sue on certain grounds that they couldn't prove? Because, at least on the face of it, it seems odd that 2 boys who were mentally disabled and apparently one suffered a sexual assuault in the locker room wouldn't have somebody in authority in the school watching out for this. Or perhaps the parents of the one child who was assaulted should have sued the parents of the one who did the assaulting. Still and all, it's not pretty to think of a child, particulaly one that is mentally incapacitated, not protected in some way, even if that meant having monitors in the locker room.

Anyone know this story?