PROVIDENCE — Four teenage boys are accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl inside Hope High School in Providence during school hours on Wednesday, police said, an incident that has left the community horrified and reeling.
Providence Police Major David Lapatin said Friday the four boys have been charged with first-degree sexual assault.
“It’s definitely scary,” a student who identified herself as Destiny said after school on Friday.
“People are concerned,” said another student who was getting on the bus after school and declined to give his name. “I hope things change,” he said.
Few specific details about the alleged assault were released by police, including the location in the school where it happened. But the alleged assault inside Hope High School has prompted questions surrounding safety.
Ty’Relle Stephens, president of the school board, called the incident “deeply troubling” and said he would consider bringing the matter before the board in a special meeting next week “to review any safety procedures or protocols that may warrant our attention.”
Corey Jones, the elected school board member for the East Side of Providence, called the incident “horrifying.”
“No student should have to go through that,” Jones said.
Police began an investigation at the school on Wednesday after the principal alerted the school resource officer at 11:30 a.m., according to police spokesperson Kristy dosReis.
Lapatin said it appeared the students involved knew one another. In a letter sent home to parents, school principal Francisco Velasquez called it an “isolated incident.”
The suspects’ names were not released because they are underage, police said. As of Friday they were being held at the Rhode Island Training School, the state’s correctional facility for children and teens.
In Rhode Island, first-degree sexual assault is defined as engaging in “sexual penetration with another person” under certain circumstances, such as by using “force or coercion.”
In the letter to families, Velasquez said privacy laws prevented him from releasing specific details about what happened.
“We understand that in these moments, there is a natural desire for information,” Velasquez added. “We strive to be as transparent as possible.”
Alexandra Torres-Perez, a spokesperson for Providence schools, said the district is fully cooperating with police.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff is always our top priority,” Torres-Perez said. “We are taking every necessary step to ensure our students feel safe, supported, and cared for at our school. That includes assessing our safety protocols and making sure our Crisis Response Team is available at the school to provide support to anyone who may need it.
“We cannot comment further,” Torres-Perez added.
Located on Providence’s East Side, Hope High School serves a diverse population of nearly 700 students from around the city. The school earned one star out of five, the lowest possible ranking, in the state’s most recent accountability results.
Hope High School social studies teacher Caleigh Rockwal, who is also the secretary of the Providence Teachers Union, said that the union is calling for the district to do more to protect students and to respond to such incidents. She noted sexual assaults were also reported at Providence’s Central High School last school year.
“What we have seen in their response is they try to sweep them under the rug, try to act as if they hadn’t happened, and try to protect their image, when the focus should be on supporting students and staff,” Rockwal said.
Rockwal said district guidance has urged schools not to hold assemblies or to bring the school community together to discuss the alleged sexual assaults.
“We are supposed to continue as normal,” she said.
She added that the school’s crisis team did “an excellent job” in responding to this incident. “But we need extra support after something like this happens to support our community,” she said.
Jones, the school board member, said he would seek to “examine the conditions that allowed this to happen,” including where adult supervision was and whether all school policies were followed.
“I’ll be asking the district for a review of what occurred,” Jones said.
He said the district should also examine how it teaches consent and violence prevention.
Jill Davidson, the city councilperson for Ward 2, where the school is located, said Hope High School leadership is generally “very vigilant” about safety. In light of the incident, she said she wants to learn more about the safety procedures in a large school building.
“I have a lot of questions,” Davidson said. “Adults can’t be everywhere, so how do we make sure, without making it feel like a prison, that kids can move about and not run into issues?”
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, in a statement to the Globe, called the alleged assault “deeply disturbing.”
The district recently returned to local control under the Smiley administration in July after being state run for nearly seven years. Smiley lost his bid for reelection earlier this month to David Morales, a state representative.
“My thoughts are with the student, their family, and everyone affected,” Smiley said. “Our students deserve to feel safe at school, and my administration will continue to work closely with Providence Public Schools and law enforcement to ensure students and families have the support they need.”
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv. Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.