LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) - Four former students are suing the San Diego Unified School District and a former teacher, claiming he sexually assaulted them in high school. Team 10 investigative reporter Jennifer Kastner interviewed one of his accusers who says the school district failed to protect her.
“When I was a senior at La Jolla High School in the year of 2003, I was sexually assaulted by my physics teacher,” says former student Loxie Gant.
She’s one of the four women who are now suing the former teacher and the district, claiming the district had numerous opportunities to punish or report his behavior, but failed to do so.
Attorney Mark Boskovich tells 10News, “The school district knew about these sexual assaults because the students reported [them]. This is not one of those cases where people didn't come forward. They did.”
10News is not naming the former teacher because he has not been criminally charged.
He declined to offer us any comment on the lawsuit.
According to the suit, in 2003 two students reported that he put his hands down a female student's pants, but the complaint alleges that even after the district substantiated the complaint, it never reported it to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office or California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
The lawsuit states that between roughly 2003 and 2014, multiple female students, including Gant, reported being sexually assaulted by the same former teacher. Their attorney says he was allowed to keep teaching until he retired three years ago and now collects an annual pension of more than $80,000.
“I’ve been trying for years to get San Diego Unified to admit their faults and take responsibility for what happened,” adds Gant.
According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the former teacher's credentials were revoked last year because of misconduct, but the details of the misconduct and whether it’s related to the allegations of sexual assault are not being disclosed to 10News.
The school district tells 10News that it doesn't comment on any pending litigation.
10News also reached out to the DA’s Office but a spokesperson replied that it cannot confirm or comment on any potential investigations.
