RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — The Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD) was found responsible last month for the 2018 sexual abuse of a student with learning disabilities and ordered to pay $1.7 million in damages.
On Nov. 22, a Sacramento County Superior Court jury found conduct of one or more FCUSD employees negligent and a factor in the repeated sex abuse of a 13-year-old student with limited verbal communication by a 19-year-old student on a school bus routed to Cordova High School from June 6-30, 2018, court documents show.
The plaintiff’s original complaint says the victim became sad, aggressive, engaged in self-harm and urinated on himself during the period of abuse.
According to the verdict, the FCUSD was ordered to pay:
- $1,125,000 in past noneconomic loss, including mental suffering, inconvenience, anxiety, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
- $375,000 in future noneconomic loss, including mental suffering, inconvenience, anxiety, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
- $229,979.38 in economic damages for future medical care and/or life care services.
The lawsuit, filed on June 14, 2019, alleged the school bus driver was suspicious of sexual abuse and failed to report it; it also accused the district of failing to properly train its staff on how to eliminate misconduct.
“This verdict was a very important result for all students in terms of holding a school district responsible for failing to do its job of training and supervising its employees,” the plaintiff’s attorney, Roger Dreyer, told ABC10 on Tuesday. “It sends a message that in this community there is an expectation that this community is looking for school districts to make certain that their employees are trained properly on their duties as mandated reporters and if they fail to do so they can held accountable when sexual abuse takes place.”
The FCUSD said Tuesday the district regularly provides training.
“Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our students,” said Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, a district spokeswoman. “The district provides annual training to all staff as required by law. While we are unable to comment on specific personnel matters, I can share that we strictly adhere to our board policy regarding all dismissal and disciplinary actions.”
The board policy says dismissal depends on the situation.
“Disciplinary action shall be based on the particular facts and circumstances involved and the severity of the conduct or performance,” the policy reads. “Disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to, verbal warnings, written warnings, reassignment, suspension, freezing or reduction of wages, compulsory leave or dismissal.”
WATCH MORE: Man accused of sexually assaulting woman, cutting her neck with scissors in Sacramento County
