A Sunset High School student has filed a federal lawsuit against the Beaverton School District, alleging school officials failed to prevent another student from sexually assaulting and harassing her while they rode a school district bus in October and November last year.

The student also contends the district failed to investigate the reported assaults and harassment and doesn't adequately train its bus drivers to report unlawful or improper conduct to protect their student passengers.

The lawsuit contends a boy, identified as "I.F.,'' engaged in "sexually offensive groping, touching and penetration,'' causing the girl pain, emotional distress and psychological suffering over the two months.

The negligence suit, brought by the girl's mother, was filed Thursday against the school district, the superintendent, Sunset High's principal, vice principal and the student accused of the misconduct. It seeks up to $28 million dollars in noneconomic damages, as well economic and punitive damages.

The suit also urges a judge to require the school district to take immediate steps to prevent sexual assaults on its buses, including requiring a daily review of bus video recordings and mandating that drivers report any "sexualized behavior'' to school officials.

Spokeswoman Maureen Wheeler said Friday the district hasn't been served with the lawsuit and can't comment on the pending litigation. She declined to answer any other questions raised by the suit.

The girl's family learned of the alleged harassment at the end of November and notified , Beaverton school officials and police, said attorney Kevin Brague, the plaintiff's lawyer. The Washington County District Attorney's Office declined to prosecute, Brague said.

The suit alleges the district failed to investigate or determine what had occurred or take any steps to prevent such an assault from happening again even if authorities decided not to pursue criminal charges. At the very least, the bus driver should have noticed the behavior and separated the two students on the bus, Brague said.

"The fact that this went on for such a period of time without anyone intervening is grossly negligent,'' Brague said.

The unidentified boy accused of committing the alleged sexual harassment and assaults, according to the suit, confessed to Sunset High vice principal Shawn Davitt, but no discipline followed, Brague wrote in the suit. The boy remained a Sunset High student through last school year, but now attends another school, Brague said. He didn't know the circumstances of the move.

The girl is identified as a special education student and remains at Sunset High.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian