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Sex abuse lawsuits filed against St. Lucie School District
John Dzenitis
The St. Lucie County School District has been slapped with three lawsuits, alleging a pattern of sexual abuse.One of the lawsuits centers on an English teacher at Westwood High School in Ft. Pierce, who allegedly inappropriately touched several 14-year-old girls in class.MOBILE/TABLET USERS: Watch the ReportThe other two lawsuits claim the school district and teachers at Manatee Academy in Port St. Lucie did not properly supervise a boy, who was a known sexual offender.According to the lawsuits, the 13-year-old student was expelled from Oak Hammock and placed in a classroom with autistic students at Manatee Academy. The lawsuit alleges two autistic teens were sexually abused by the boy on multiple occasions on the playground while their teacher was nearby."School districts can no longer ignore and cover up these problems," the victims' attorney, Gloria Seidule, said. "They have to be handled head on. They have to be taken seriously."The lawsuits are seeking damages in excess of $15,000. An exact dollar amount will be determined later through civil proceedings.The school district told WPBF 25 News they had no knowledge of the lawsuit until it was announced by the victims' attorney at Tuesday morning's press conference.Official statement by St. Lucie County School District:"The safety of students and staff are always a priority for us," stated Superintendent Yost. For more information, contact the law firm of Carmen, Beauchamp, Sang, and Gonzales.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. —
The St. Lucie County School District has been slapped with three lawsuits, alleging a pattern of sexual abuse.
One of the lawsuits centers on an English teacher at Westwood High School in Ft. Pierce, who allegedly inappropriately touched several 14-year-old girls in class.
MOBILE/TABLET USERS: Watch the Report
The other two lawsuits claim the school district and teachers at Manatee Academy in Port St. Lucie did not properly supervise a boy, who was a known sexual offender.
According to the lawsuits, the 13-year-old student was expelled from Oak Hammock and placed in a classroom with autistic students at Manatee Academy. The lawsuit alleges two autistic teens were sexually abused by the boy on multiple occasions on the playground while their teacher was nearby.
"School districts can no longer ignore and cover up these problems," the victims' attorney, Gloria Seidule, said. "They have to be handled head on. They have to be taken seriously."
The lawsuits are seeking damages in excess of $15,000. An exact dollar amount will be determined later through civil proceedings.
The school district told WPBF 25 News they had no knowledge of the lawsuit until it was announced by the victims' attorney at Tuesday morning's press conference.
Official statement by St. Lucie County School District:
"The safety of students and staff are always a priority for us," stated Superintendent Yost. For more information, contact the law firm of Carmen, Beauchamp, Sang, and Gonzales.
WPBF 25 West Palm Beach
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