NASHVILLE (AP) — Metro Nashville Public Schools is accused of not protecting its students from a known sexual harassment problem that involved female students being sexually assaulted, secretly recorded and then bullied.

The Tennessean reports the lawsuits involving four girls say the videos were later shared online. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger has denied the district's request to dismiss the lawsuits, which accuse it of not following Title IX rules when responding to sexual assault complaints.

The district argued that male students were also depicted in the videos, so the girls weren't unequally treated per federal law. The judge says the boys didn't suffer from bullying that "follows the easily recognizable script of treating women and girls as uniquely tainted and lessened by their engagement in sexual activity."