When parents send their children to school, they expect them to come home unharmed. But schools across the country are facing lawsuits alleging that administrators, teachers, coaches, and other staff members failed to protect students from sexual abuse. The issue has drawn renewed national attention after the U.S. Department of Education announced it will investigate teacher sexual misconduct, warning that schools that fail to comply with federal requirements could risk losing funding.
While each case involves different facts, many lawsuits raise similar questions about whether schools recognized warning signs, responded appropriately to reports of abuse, and fulfilled their legal duty to protect students.
Why School Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Continue To Be Filed
Nationally recognized sexual assault attorney Jessica Pride says families often assume criminal charges are the only path toward accountability, but civil lawsuits serve a different purpose.
"Families are often shocked when they discover their child was sexually abused at school," Pride said. "Many don't realize they may also have civil legal options if a school ignored warning signs, failed to properly supervise employees, or didn't respond appropriately after abuse was reported."
According to Pride, civil lawsuits frequently examine more than the conduct of the individual accused of abuse. Attorneys may also investigate hiring practices, background checks, prior complaints, supervision, mandatory reporting obligations, and whether school administrators acted appropriately after receiving concerns.
New York City School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Nears $700,000 Settlement
In New York City, the Department of Education has reportedly offered a sex abuse survivor $700,000 for the abuse she suffered at the hands of William Bassell. Bassell, the principal of the Academy of American Studies, a public high school in Queens, earned the nickname “Creepy Bill” for his behavior around girls and women. Both students and staff members have alleged that he harassed and groped them. In one case, he allegedly sent a teacher tens of thousands of text messages, some of them sexually explicit. Earlier this year, he avoided criminal charges by agreeing to retire from his position and complete a sex offender treatment program. It was unclear whether the deal would prevent him from receiving pension payments.
The settlement deal isn’t finalized because the teacher who was offered the settlement, identified only as Jane Doe in court filings, raised concerns about whether she could sue Bassell individually in the future. Doe has asked for another discussion to carve out an exception to the language in the proposed settlement agreement that could prevent her from filing lawsuits against people presently or formerly employed by the Department of Education.
Other lawsuits allege that some staff members faced retaliation from Bassell after reporting abuse. Taken together, the lawsuits allege the education department acted negligently by failing to stop the principal.
Cases like this often focus not only on the alleged abuser's conduct but also on whether school officials knew—or should have known—about previous complaints and failed to intervene.
Washington School Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Drive Insurance Costs Higher
School districts across Washington state are seeing their insurance rates increase sharply, a change that’s being attributed to a spike in lawsuits filed by students and staff members alleging sexual abuse. The rates increased by an average of 45 percent, causing some districts to cut back on teaching staff to save money. Most of the impacted districts haven’t faced sex abuse lawsuits, per the Herald Republic, but the uptick in settlements affects many of them financially. As a result, school districts around the state have paid tens of millions of dollars in settlements since 2024, and a large payout from one district can affect the insurance rates for the rest.
One potential reason for the increase is a court decision that makes it easier for survivors to sue. In 2020, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled in W.H. v. Olympia School District that public schools are strictly liable for physical abuse and sexual misconduct committed by employees.
Strict liability means a party is liable after an event happens, regardless of intent or fault. Essentially, plaintiffs don’t have to prove that a district acted carelessly or intended to cause harm. A school district is legally responsible even if its employees were unaware of the abuse. This ruling made it significantly easier for survivors to sue, as school districts had previously argued that ignorance of the crime meant they bore no responsibility.
In one recent example, the parents of a deaf student sued two state school districts alleging that the student was sexually abused multiple times. The family says the girl was sexually assaulted several years ago, then again last fall. Both alleged incidents happened on school buses. The lawsuit was filed in June, and it fell on the same day that one of the involved school districts settled a case involving another student who was assaulted.
The Washington cases also illustrate how changes in state law can significantly affect the legal options available to survivors.
New Jersey School District Pays Millions To Settle Lawsuits
A New Jersey school district has paid over $3 million to settle lawsuits involving the same teacher at Myron L. Powell Elementary School in Cedarville. The Jersey Vindicator reports that settlements weren’t available to the public for several years until an advocate for government transparency took the Lawrence Township School District to court in an attempt to force the records out into the open. A judge ruled in the advocate’s favor and ordered the district to release the documents. Those records reveal that the district has paid more than $3 million to multiple students who alleged that teacher Derek Hildreth abused them over a decade.
Florida School District Investigated Over Response to Sexual Abuse Allegations
A grand jury is investigating Duval County Public Schools for how the district has handled sex abuse cases over the years. A state attorney ordered the investigation to take a closer look at how the district reports and responds to sex abuse allegations. Per reporting from Action News Jax, the probe began after a high school teacher was arrested for grooming a student and sentenced to ten years in prison. As the investigation progresses, the district has reportedly adopted new ethics and investigation policies.
That isn’t the only controversy plaguing the district. According to the news station, a former chief of schools received an email in 2020 with a list of educators who were allegedly committing sexual abuse and failed to act. This is the second grand jury investigation the district has faced in recent years. It follows the earlier inquiry into how Duval Schools handled criminal complaints, which found that more than 2,000 alleged crimes weren’t reported over three years, including lewd acts and child pornography.
Investigations into how schools respond to allegations of abuse frequently become important evidence in subsequent civil litigation.
Indiana School Sued for Failing To Address Abuse
The family of a student who once attended Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Carmel, Indiana, is suing the private Catholic school for failing to deal with bullying and sex abuse. The local Catholic diocese is also named in the lawsuit. The boy was bullied relentlessly by fellow students and eventually faced sexual harassment. When the boy’s parents brought the issue to school staff, their concerns were minimized, according to the court documents. The lawsuit claims that school officials told the family that the other students were joking and said: “boys will be boys.” The family has asked for a jury trial.
What Families Should Know After School Sexual Abuse
Learning that a child may have experienced sexual abuse at school can leave families overwhelmed and unsure where to turn. While a criminal investigation may determine whether criminal charges are appropriate, it’s separate from the civil legal process. A civil lawsuit focuses on whether the person responsible—and, in some cases, the school or educational institution—may be held financially accountable for the harm that occurred.
Because every situation is different, the steps families take early on can become important later. Reporting suspected abuse to law enforcement or child protective authorities, preserving relevant communications or school records, and documenting what occurred may all help investigators understand what happened. Depending on the circumstances, attorneys may also seek school policies, personnel records, disciplinary histories, surveillance footage, emails, or other evidence to determine whether warning signs were overlooked or institutional failures contributed to the abuse.
The legal deadlines for filing a civil lawsuit also vary significantly from state to state. Many states have extended the time survivors have to pursue civil claims, while others have created exceptions allowing older cases to proceed under certain circumstances. Because these laws continue to evolve, families may benefit from understanding the legal options available where the abuse occurred.
"Many families initially focus on the individual who committed the abuse, which is completely understandable," Pride said. "Part of our job is also determining whether an institution failed to protect students or respond appropriately after concerns were raised. Those answers can be an important part of accountability."
