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A public school environment can have many benefits for a child. Unfortunately, public schools can also be places of egregious crimes committed against vulnerable children. Child sexual abuse and assault can happen at any school in Kansas, even in the best school districts. A teacher may betray a student’s trust, or a fellow student may take advantage of a younger child.
If you or someone you love is a survivor of public school sexual abuse, DRZ Law can help. We are proud to say that we have a 100-percent case success rate among our sexual assault clients. Our public school sexual abuse attorneys do what it takes to obtain justice and hold schools and school districts accountable for failing to protect the children in their care. Request a free consultation with one of our attorneys today to find out how we can help you.
Sexual abuse, assault and harassment can take many forms within a public school in Kansas. The definition of sexual abuse is any type of sexual contact with someone who has not given their consent. Since the age of consent in Kansas is 16, any child under the age of 16 cannot lawfully give consent to sexual activity. Examples of sexual abuse at a public school include:
Public school sexual abuse can take place anywhere on campus, including a bathroom, locker room, parking lot, gym or empty classroom, as well as off-campus at a field trip or school event. It can impact students of any age and gender. Cases of public school sexual abuse have involved adult perpetrators – teachers, school administrators, maintenance workers, nurses, other parents and coaches – as well as fellow students.
Sexual abuse is a potential threat at any school. Sadly, school settings are the perfect place for perpetrators to target innocent victims. School administrators have a responsibility to protect students and prevent sexual assault. This includes instituting antibullying programs and having reporting procedures in place for incidents of sexual abuse. Public schools and school districts must take reasonable measures to protect the students in their care. Unfortunately, many public schools in Kansas fail to fulfill their duties.
A public school could fall short of its responsibility to protect students from sexual abuse in many ways, including:
Public schools may wish to protect their image or reputation more than their students. They may break the law by failing to report claims of sexual abuse and assault to the authorities, for example. In some cases, a mandated reporter (someone at the school with a legal obligation to report claims of sexual assault) may take the case to administrators in the school district only for the report of misconduct to get swept under the rug.
As a victim of sexual assault or a parent, you have the right to bring a lawsuit against the parties that turned a blind eye or implicitly condoned these crimes against children. While reporting the perpetrator to law enforcement can result in criminal penalties against him or her, only a civil lawsuit can hold an institution accountable for its part in failing to protect a child.
The nature of a public school means that you can file a lawsuit against the school district in Kansas for sexual abuse. School districts are vicariously responsible for what happens at their schools, including incidents of sexual assault. You may have grounds to file a lawsuit against the Blue Valley Unified School District, DeSoto Unified School District, Olathe Public Schools, Lee’s Summit R-VII School District, Liberty School District or another school district in the area for child sexual assault.
Taking on a Kansas school district often requires assistance from an experienced public school sexual abuse lawyer. A school district is a powerful adversary that will have an aggressive legal team protecting it from liability. The right attorney will have the resources and knowledge to go up against a school district and demand fair financial compensation for a sexual assault survivor.
At DRZ Law, we know how to take on institutions that harbor sexual predators, including public schools. We are extremely familiar with this area of law and have dedicated our practice to empowering victims of institutional abuse. We can help you get the treatment that you need to heal from this terrible crime, as well as fight for changes on a systemic level so that this does not happen to other students in the future. We can also help your family with a claim against a private school, charter school, boarding school, religious school, military school or another public institution.
Kansas has a statute of limitations – a deadline for filing – child sexual abuse cases. If you don’t file within this deadline, you may lose the opportunity to bring a lawsuit. All claimants have three years from the date they turn 18 to file these claims. If the victim doesn’t realize a health condition is from child sexual abuse until later, he or she has three years from the date of discovery. If your child is 18 when he or she reports public school sexual abuse, your child will need to file the lawsuit. Otherwise, you have the right to bring a lawsuit on behalf of your child.
You deserve justice as a survivor of public school sexual abuse in Kansas. At DRZ Law, we are passionate about bringing abusers to justice, as well as holding institutions accountable for their part in failing to protect students from assault. Find out how we can help you during a free, confidential case review with one of our compassionate lawyers. We can meet in person at our Kansas City law office, meet over Zoom or do a home visit. Please call (913) 400-2033 to contact our team of public school sexual abuse lawyers today.
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