Yesterday, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy and four predecessors were named in a lawsuit that alleges:
- they intentionally did not report complaints of suspected teacher abuse
-
they knowingly allowed teachers suspected of sex abuse to continue harming students
The former superintendents named in the suit are:
- Ramon Cortines
- Ruben Zacarias
- Roy Romer
- David L. Brewer
The lawsuit also names:
- the district
- the school board
- two former principals at Miramonte
The lawsuit claims that superintendents:
- failed to have a clear and effective policy on reporting allegations of child abuse
- intentionally failed to keep files on such complaints
- intentionally did not report claims of abuse to state authorities or law enforcement.
The lawsuit alleges that the superintendents created an environment in which administrators were advised to:
- dismiss complaints of misconduct
- shield teachers from scrutiny
According to the complaint:
“…teachers, teacher's aides, and/or administrative personnel hired, retained, supervised and employed by the LAUSD were aware of the alleged abuse and failed/refused to take any action to prevent the harm alleged herein from occurring.''
As a result, the lawsuit says, a dozen children suffered:
“emotional damage ... and injury caused by the horrific memories of lewd, depraved and lascivious acts''
The attorney for the plantiffs Brian Claypool said the top officials:
“…ignored or negligently failed to detect massive abuse by, at one time, three active serial child molesters working on one small elementary school campus for over twenty years,''
“This is not negligence. This is an intentional, calculated plan over 20 years to facilitate child abuse at the expense of the safety and welfare of the kids,”
Claypool likened what he called the district's culture of concealing complaints about pedophile teachers to the Roman Catholic Church's cover-up of pedophile priests. Read more here.
