Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/54017-09-03-05.html
A lawsuit has been filed by three students who attended the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, and their parents, alleging the school and its administrators failed to protect them from alleged physical and sexual abuse by another student.
The complaint, which was filed in the 13th Judicial District in Valencia County earlier this month, names the school, Ronald Stern, the school's superintendent, and Principal Terry Wilding as plaintiffs. The defendants include teenage students who live in Valencia, Bernalillo and Roosevelt counties.
The students and their parents claim that between August and December of 2003, they each were victimized at the school by another student, who is not named in the lawsuit. The lawsuit charges that the school and its administration "knew, or should have known, the tendencies of the sexual predator."
John F. Kennedy, an attorney representing the New Mexico School for the Deaf, said in an e-mail to the News-Bulletin this week that he couldn't comment on the allegations because the school has not yet seen a copy of the complaint.
"We do not even know the names of the students or parents who have joined as parties to the action. We will have no comment on this matter until we have been served and had an opportunity to review the claims and allegations," Kennedy wrote. "Once the suit is served, there also may be constraints imposed by the federal family and student privacy laws (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC Section 1232g) which may limit the school's responses to the questions you have posed in any event."
David Chavez, a Los Lunas attorney who filed the lawsuit, said the abuse was an "ongoing situation" at the Santa Fe school and that the administration exhibited "a cavalier attitude" about the students' claims when they were informed about the alleged incidents.
"What is most disconcerting is that the New Mexico School for the Deaf didn't seem to think that anything improper had occurred," Chavez said. "There was not any contact by the school officials to the respective parents when they learned of the allegations."
According to the lawsuit, the defendants charge that when school officials did contact the parents about the allegations, they failed to disclose the nature and extent of the sexual abuse and related claims.
The lawsuit also claims that the school owed a duty to the students to provide a safe and secure atmosphere and that they failed to take any action to keep the "sexual predator" in a secure environment. Court documents describe the alleged incidents as physical assaults, battery, sexual abuse and other related crimes.
As a result of the alleged abuse, all the students claim they have suffered, and will continue to suffer, physical injury, severe emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation and loss of self-esteem. The lawsuit says the plaintiffs continue to undergo medical treatment and psychological counseling as a result of the alleged abuse.
Although the parents' names are given in the lawsuit, the students are listed as John Does 1 to 3. The names are being withheld to protect the students' identity.
A lawsuit has been filed by three students who attended the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, and their parents, alleging the school and its administrators failed to protect them from alleged physical and sexual abuse by another student.
The complaint, which was filed in the 13th Judicial District in Valencia County earlier this month, names the school, Ronald Stern, the school's superintendent, and Principal Terry Wilding as plaintiffs. The defendants include teenage students who live in Valencia, Bernalillo and Roosevelt counties.
The students and their parents claim that between August and December of 2003, they each were victimized at the school by another student, who is not named in the lawsuit. The lawsuit charges that the school and its administration "knew, or should have known, the tendencies of the sexual predator."
John F. Kennedy, an attorney representing the New Mexico School for the Deaf, said in an e-mail to the News-Bulletin this week that he couldn't comment on the allegations because the school has not yet seen a copy of the complaint.
"We do not even know the names of the students or parents who have joined as parties to the action. We will have no comment on this matter until we have been served and had an opportunity to review the claims and allegations," Kennedy wrote. "Once the suit is served, there also may be constraints imposed by the federal family and student privacy laws (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC Section 1232g) which may limit the school's responses to the questions you have posed in any event."
David Chavez, a Los Lunas attorney who filed the lawsuit, said the abuse was an "ongoing situation" at the Santa Fe school and that the administration exhibited "a cavalier attitude" about the students' claims when they were informed about the alleged incidents.
"What is most disconcerting is that the New Mexico School for the Deaf didn't seem to think that anything improper had occurred," Chavez said. "There was not any contact by the school officials to the respective parents when they learned of the allegations."
According to the lawsuit, the defendants charge that when school officials did contact the parents about the allegations, they failed to disclose the nature and extent of the sexual abuse and related claims.
The lawsuit also claims that the school owed a duty to the students to provide a safe and secure atmosphere and that they failed to take any action to keep the "sexual predator" in a secure environment. Court documents describe the alleged incidents as physical assaults, battery, sexual abuse and other related crimes.
As a result of the alleged abuse, all the students claim they have suffered, and will continue to suffer, physical injury, severe emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation and loss of self-esteem. The lawsuit says the plaintiffs continue to undergo medical treatment and psychological counseling as a result of the alleged abuse.
Although the parents' names are given in the lawsuit, the students are listed as John Does 1 to 3. The names are being withheld to protect the students' identity.
