CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nikki Wombwell, 22, never thought she’d be an activist, creating a website in her free time for sexual assault survivors.

“It also has news stories to keep you updated on our advocacy,” Wombwell said. “And then some hotlines for if you are in an emergency.”

A hotline she wished she knew about as a student at Myers Park High School in 2014.

“It happened in the woods, and it was right on campus,” Wombwell said.

Wombwell said she was raped in the woods surrounding Myers Park High School by a boy she had previously had a relationship with.

What You Need To Know

• Nikki Wombwell and Serena Evans both told Myers Park High School staff they were assaulted while they were students
• Both Victims say the school staff did not take them seriously
• The women say in both cases their assailants had no consequences
• Just last week, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools reassigned Mark Bosco, the former Principal of Myers Park, to a new position within the district
• The women say more needs to be done to protect students from sexual assault

“I assumed that if something happened, that obviously the school is who I should go to about it,” Wombwell said.

But Wombwell says both school administrators and the school resource officer didn’t take her assault seriously.

“I was 15 and I was never really taught what consent was, what rape was, what assault was,” Wombwell said. “So when I was told what happened wasn’t rape because of my history with this student, I believed them. It felt wrong, what happened felt like a violation, it felt awful. Like, I know that it was wrong but they’re telling me that it wasn’t rape. And who am I to question a police officer.”

She felt helpless, and sometimes still does. Especially when she passes the high school.

“Yes it’s very hard,” Wombwell said. “I was debating asking to do this somewhere else. But I can see, like, it happened here. It’s this school that is doing this, and it’s CMS as a whole that is doing this.”

Which is why, after settling her lawsuit with CMS this year, she chose to share her story.

“If it was just me I think I could move on,” Wombwell said. “But I know how much this screws someone over and how much it affects literally the rest of your life to go through something like that, and then to be treated like you don’t matter.”

Courage that has not only pushed her voice forward but brought her closer to other survivors of sexual assaults on Myers Park Campus, like Serena Evans.

“I think the first time we really connected was at the first protest,” Evans said. “And then we kind of sporadically communicated.

Evans came to Myers Park as a star tennis player, but now even being near the courts is hard.

“My rape happened right before one of our regional matches, and I had to pull out of, I believe, three different events due to my ovarian cyst rupturing,” Evans said.

Just two years after Wombwell’s assault, Evans says she was raped by a football player in the gym before a tennis match. And just like Wombwell, Evans says no one took her seriously.

“I would say disappointed may not be the right word,” Evans said. “But I would say maybe shocked, frustrated.”

Evans says the problem isn’t just at Myers Park.

“So my CMS K-12 violence started in middle school actually,” Evans said. “I was at AG and I experienced heavy sexual harassment there. And it wasn’t taken seriously there.”

More recently, another student at Olympic High School came forward saying a football player raped her at the school.

“Reading her story, I was reading my story,” Evans said. “Both were raped by football players, both football players were able to continue playing.”

Bringing the realization for both Wombwell and Evans that their fight isn’t over.

“Students should be educated,” Evans said. “Not only on their title IX rights, not only on their constitutional rights, but what is consent."

The two women have started the website AmplifySurvivors.com. The site give survivors an opportunity to not only share their story, but give suggestions as to how the school system can prevent assaults from happening.

One big topic the girls want to highlight is adding lessons on consent to sexual education classes.

They also want CMS to include them in their Title IX Task Force, so survivors of sexual assault can help them make the proper changes.

In the last week CMS announced Myers Park High School Principal Mark Bosco has been reassigned to work for CMS as the senior administrator for expanded learning and partnerships. His salary of $149,462 remains the same in this new position.

When asked as to why the two former students were not included on the Title IX Task Force, CMS responded by saying, “The Title IX Task Force was created to implement change in procedures going forward and is intended only for current students of CMS schools. The task force selection process was designed to be balanced and fair with recommendations from schools, followed by a student online application of interest and in-person interviews. It was important to keep the group at a manageable size to be able to complete the work in a timely fashion, while including diverse members of all school learning communities that would represent their peers and all student voices.

"CMS has not changed any policies on Title IX reporting. Changes to CMS policy require a recommendation and approval by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education. However, the task force will provide a report that may offer recommendations for improving communications, training, and other processes or procedures related to Title IX.”

When asked about how teachers and administrators respond to reports of sexual assault on campus, CMS responded with this statement:

“CMS administrators and staff work daily to make all students feel safe at school. All staff are required to report any claims or allegations of assault by students. Annual mandatory Title IX training was completed at the beginning of school for all staff and students. Principals are required to take additional hours with additional instruction on investigation and documentation procedures. In August, new Title IX posters were printed and placed in all schools with information for students and staff about how to report any Title IX violations or incidents of harassment or assault. View the Title IX Procedures

"Sexual assaults are traumatic events that can have significant impacts on short-term and long-term physical and psychological well-being. When a sexual assault of a minor is reported to police, the youth and family are typically referred to Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center for a trauma-informed forensic interview. This highly specialized interview is used to minimize the victim’s need to repeatedly retell the traumatic event; in turn, this reduces re-traumatization. Additionally, as part of its role in addressing the needs of child victims of sexual assault in Mecklenburg County, Pat’s Place offers families access to trauma-focused therapy. This is the most appropriate type of mental health treatment for victims of sexual assault.

"Due to the intense and specialized nature of this treatment, it is typically delivered by a licensed clinical therapist in the community setting, not in the school setting. Generally, it would not be considered appropriate for a school counselor, social worker, or psychologist to provide counseling focused on sexual assault specifically. It would, however, be appropriate for one of these school professionals to provide students with support on the various ways that the assault is negatively impacting the student in the school environment. For example, the school professional may provide regular check-ins to support the student with coping skills. They may also work with the student and the therapist to support generalization of skills and strategies being learned in community-based therapy."