HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The National Women's Law Center filed a brief Thursday in federal court in support of the 14-year-old Madison County girl who was raped in a botched attempt by school officials to catch a 16-year-old boy "in the act" of a sexual assault.

The girl, who was being used as "bait" by school officials, was raped in a school restroom by a 16-year-old student before school officials could close in.

In the aftermath of the rape at Sparkman Middle School in 2010, the girl changed schools, quit playing basketball and saw her grades plummet as the result of depression, according to the law center brief.

In a press release today, the law center cited the "outrageous response" by the Madison County Board of Education and school officials.

A federal district court, while allowing some claims to remain in a subsequent lawsuit, threw out claims against the Madison County school board.

"This tragic situation should never have happened," Fatima Goss Graves, NWLC Vice President for Education and Employment, said in the press release. "The school's policy that perpetrators of sexual harassment be 'caught in the act' allowed the school to turn a blind eye to ongoing sexual harassment and violence. This lack of accountability sends a troubling message to would-be perpetrators: As long as you're not caught, you'll escape all consequences."

Read the full press release here.