Exclusive: Mothers of girls allegedly raped at Bronx school speak out

CLAREMONT (WABC) -- The outraged mothers of two girls allegedly raped by classmates at a junior high school in the Bronx are breaking their silence to Eyewitness News and demanding answers.

They spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News reporter Tim Fleischer.

The victims are just 12 and 13 years old, and their parents want to know how no one noticed when their girls went missing form class for about 90 minutes at school.

Two boys who are also students at JHS 145, The Urban Science Academy, are now charged with rape.

The mothers are both distraught, saying their young daughters have been through an unbelievable ordeal. And they can't understand how their daughters could be missing for two periods without anyone noticing.

"She doesn't want to go outside, she doesn't want to do nothing," the first mother said. "he's not herself anymore."

The horrific allegations came to light late last week, with parents outraged at not having heard them sooner. Both mothers say their daughters have been through an unimaginably traumatic experience..

"It's not right," the first mother said tearfully. "My baby was getting hurt and nobody was there."

"My daughter's not prepared to go back to school right now," the second mother said through a translator.

Police say the incident took place in the school auditorium around 12:30 p.m. on October 16. The two boys who have been arrested and charged with rape are 13 and 14 years old, and they are alleged to have lured the girls into an isolated area.

"For two periods, and nobody called me," the first mother said. "Nobody asked me if my daughter had gone back home. Nothing. No one at the school looked for her."

They say no one went looking for their children even though one of their book bags was still in the classroom.

"They didn't even realize that my daughter, that her book bag was here, that they should have gone looking for her," the second mother said. "That's what they should have done in the first place."

The alleged incident did not come to light until two full weeks later, parents completely unaware.

"We are troubled greatly with the fact that their desks were empty, both in two different classes with two different teachers," attorney Alan Ripka said. "Had they done a diligent search, at a minimum they would have stopped what was going on very, very early on."

"Right now, I think maintaining the privacy of the kids involved and letting them heal is a very important part of the process," Schools Chancellor Carmin Farina said when the charges first came to light.

Neither of the girls has returned to school, a place where these parents had once thought their children were safe.

"This is just horrible that this would happen over there, in school," the second mother said.

"It's hard," the first mother added. "I always thought when you leave my house, you go to your second house, because they are supposed to watch and protect you. She tells me, 'Mommy, they didn't do it.'"

The parents and their attorney have now filed a notice of claim against the Department of Education and other departments and are speaking out with a purpose.

"I want justice," the second mother said. "I want the school to close."

School officials had also wanted the girls to appear at a hearing to determine if the boys should be suspended. Their attorney felt that it was not in their best interest to testify.