'They can't ever unsee that' | DC mom says third graders witnessed high schoolers having sex inside Dunbar High School locker room

WASHINGTON — An investigation is underway after five D.C. third graders say they witnessed high schoolers engaging in lewd acts inside of Dunbar High School's locker room last week. 

The alleged incident happened on Friday, Sept. 13 as the elementary school students from Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan (CHML) were changing after their swim class. 

One of the children's mothers spoke to WUSA9 under the condition that her identity would not be revealed. She says another mother contacted her on Thursday asking if her son had mentioned anything about what he saw inside the locker room. "They can't ever unsee that or unhear it," she told WUSA9. 

In a letter sent a week later to the CHML third grade families, Instructional Superintendent Gwendolyn Payton described the incident: "As CHML students were changing to return to school, they allege to have seen two older, high school students engaging in lewd behavior including exposing their backsides and possibly their genitals."

However, the mother we spoke to says her son said it was four teenagers involved, and the details he provided were worse than what was mentioned in the letter to parents. "My student said they heard clapping, they initially heard clapping, and then the next thing they saw was male teenagers having sex in the high school locker room," she said. 

The school system says the alleged incident has been reported to DC's Child and Family Services Agency, the DC Public Schools Comprehensive Alternative Resolution and Equity team,  and police. 

"We will work together to reinforce the safeguards that ensure only CHML students have access to the locker room during their designated swim lessons and changing times," Payton's letter to parents said. 

Parents of the impacted students say they want to know why the children were left unsupervised inside the locker room and why an adult did not check the room before allowing the children to change their clothes. 

"7, 8, 9-year-olds should have never been sent into a high school locker room by themselves in the first place," the mother told WUSA9. 

DCPS did not respond to our inquiries regarding the protocol in these cases or why the children had been left unsupervised. 

DC Police say the incident was reported to their department by the school's principal on Sept. 19 and that the incident is under an ongoing investigation. "No physical contact occurred," a police spokesperson added. 

"We'd like to know exactly what they are doing to right this wrong. We want to know what they are doing moving forward to protect our children. As well as an actual apology for the fact that it happened," the anonymous mother told WUSA9. 

A week after the alleged incident, swim classes for the CHML third-graders were cancelled. "They're blaming themselves and they're thinking that it was their fault," the mother added.