A shocking string of arrests at a high school in Palm Beach County has a principal and other high-ranking officials facing charges for allegedly failing to report the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl.
The principal of Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, Darren Edgecomb, was arrested Monday along with two assistant principals, a teacher and a behavior therapist, arrest reports said.
All face charges of failure to report sexual abuse.
According to the arrest reports, the parents of a 15-year-old girl had reported in August 2021 that she'd been sexually assaulted a few months earlier.
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The girl's father later contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office claiming multiple school staffers were negligent in their mandatory reporting of the case, the reports said.
Florida statutes require such allegations to be reported to Florida's Department of Children and Families, the reports said.
Despite evidence that corroborated allegations against the suspect in the sex assault, the investigation was closed in October 2021 when the girl's parents decided to not pursue the case, the reports said.
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The parents "did not want the matter prolonged in the legal system, which could have potentially inhibited the therapeutic progress [the victim] was making with her emotional health and well-being," the reports said.
In a statement, the Palm Beach County School District said they couldn't comment on an open investigation, but said the employees have been re-assigned to positions that do not have student contact.
"The allegations involving students occurred off of school property and over a weekend. 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," the statement read.
