OXFORD – A federal civil rights agency agreed to investigate a Norway couple's claim that school officials failed to properly deal with harassment of their 7-year-old daughter by several second-grade boys.

Martin and Liesha Petrovich, who were recently informed of the investigation, said they were at a loss for what to do after they said the school failed to deal with the problems.

"We want a safe environment," Martin Petrovich said.

School Administrative District 17 would be at risk of losing federal aid if it's found by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights to be in violation of federal law for failure to respond appropriately to the alleged incidents.

The Petrovichs said their daughter was continually harassed by several second-grade boys starting last fall. Some of the harassment was sexual in nature, they said. The girl had to be pulled out of school in May.

School officials notified second-grade parents in March that complaints had been received about behavior in one classroom. In May, Principal Jane Fahey told parents in another letter that the school was investigating continued problems in the school and on the school bus, including an alleged sexual assault of a boy.

School officials later said disciplinary action was taken but that there was no evidence of the reported sexual assault by two second-graders.