Skip to content 
Image courtesy of City of Elk Grove, California, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Three civil lawsuits filed within less than two months accuse the Elk Grove Unified School District of failing to protect students from sexual abuse by employees at three different schools, The Sacramento Bee reported.
The cases involve former students at Laguna Creek High School, Sheldon High School and Prairie Elementary School. All three lawsuits were filed in Sacramento Superior Court and allege failures involving supervision, reporting or the handling of warning signs.
The district did not respond to a request for comment from The Sacramento Bee.
Lawsuit Alleges Abuse at Laguna Creek High School
The first lawsuit was filed Aug. 14 by a former Laguna Creek High School student identified as Jane Doe K.T.
She alleges that Michael Jones, who worked as an on-campus suspension coordinator, groomed and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she was a student.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse began after Jones learned she had a troubled home life. The complaint alleges that he used her circumstances as a runaway minor to continue abusing her and sometimes gave her money to remain silent.
The lawsuit further alleges that Jones removed her from class without justification, made sexual comments and jokes, pressured her to spend time with him and repeatedly demanded nude photos and videos.
The plaintiff alleges that teachers and other staff members knew or should have known Jones posed a risk to students because of warning signs, including the attention he directed toward her and his practice of removing her from class.
The lawsuit includes claims against Jones and the district for sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and failure to report suspected child abuse.
She is seeking unspecified damages.
California law may allow survivors to pursue claims against both the person responsible and a school district or other institution that failed to protect them.
Learn more about California school sexual abuse lawsuits, filing deadlines and legal options.
Former Sheldon High School Student Files Separate Lawsuit
A second lawsuit was filed Sept. 11 by a former Sheldon High School student identified as Donna Doe.
The complaint alleges that former Spanish teacher John Young sexually abused her on school property and during school hours.
According to the lawsuit, Young was later arrested and charged with four counts involving childhood sexual assault and pleaded no contest in 2017.
The lawsuit alleges that school administrators and employees were aware of conduct that should have raised concerns, including Young developing social relationships with students, driving students alone and spending time alone with female students in a locked classroom.
The plaintiff also alleges that the district’s child abuse and neglect reporting training was inadequate and failed to properly prepare employees to recognize and report suspected abuse.
Her claims include negligent supervision, investigation or retention of an employee and negligent supervision while she was a minor.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Prairie Elementary Lawsuit Alleges 40-Day Reporting Delay
The third lawsuit, filed Sept. 22, involves allegations at Prairie Elementary School.
The plaintiff, identified as AR Doe, alleges that paraeducator Eric Ernest Echols sexually abused her in 2015 and 2016.
The complaint alleges that school employees were aware Echols regularly hugged female students, placed them on his lap and spent time alone with children on campus.
It also alleges that multiple students disclosed sexual abuse to a district employee, but the allegations were not reported for more than 40 days.
According to the lawsuit, the employee eventually notified the district’s human resources department.
Echols was later arrested and charged with sexually abusing seven Prairie Elementary students. The lawsuit states that he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child molestation charge and no contest to six felony counts of committing lewd acts on a child.
He was sentenced to 11 years in state prison.
The plaintiff alleges the district and school leadership failed to properly supervise her and that the district’s child abuse reporting training was inadequate.
She is seeking unspecified damages.
Lawsuits Raise Questions About Institutional Oversight
Although the three lawsuits involve different schools, employees and time periods, they raise similar allegations about whether the district adequately recognized warning signs, supervised employees and responded to suspected abuse.
School sexual abuse lawsuits often focus not only on the alleged conduct of an individual employee, but also on whether an institution had prior information that should have prompted action.
California law also imposes mandatory reporting obligations on many school employees when they know of or reasonably suspect child abuse.
