A federal lawsuit is bringing renewed attention to Navarro College’s cheerleading program, which was made famous in recent years by the Netflix docu-series Cheer.
The plaintiff in the civil suit, a former member of the college’s Bulldogs Cheer Team, filed last Wednesday, alleging that her coach and two administrators committed Title IX violations for not taking any action against a male member on the team who she claimed sexually assaulted her.
“Defendants permitted a campus condition rife with sexual assault and lacking the basic standards of support for victims as required by state and federal law,” the plaintiff claimed, according to NBC 5.
Navarro College is located in Corsicana, roughly 45 miles south of Dallas, down Interstate 45.
The plaintiff alleged that Monica Aldama, the team’s coach, tried to get her not to report the alleged assault, going so far as to suggest that she would help the plaintiff’s cheerleading career if she kept her mouth shut.
“[L]et’s not make this a big deal. I want what’s best for you and I will help you cheer wherever you want … [I]f you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want,” Aldama purportedly said, per CNN.
The plaintiff also alleged that officers with the college’s Department of Public Safety tried to dissuade her from reporting the incident.
For its part, Navarro College issued a statement to NBC 5:
“The safety and welfare of students is always of utmost priority. Navarro College prohibits sexual harassment and sexual misconduct against all students and is deeply committed to providing an educational environment free from sex discrimination and sexual assault.”
It also denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
Aldama also denied the allegations, telling Entertainment Weekly:
“We do not condone or cover-up reports of sexual harassment and assault. As an athletics coach and Navarro College employee, I take all Title IX matters very seriously, especially reports of sexual misconduct. I am a rules follower. I always follow all appropriate procedures regarding reporting and responding to any allegations of misconduct in the Navarro Cheer program.”
Sexual assaults are pervasive, with the majority going unreported, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
In Dallas, where City leaders have been struggling to keep crime down, 199 sexual assaults have been reported so far this year, per the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
