Teen sues Reynolds district over 2008 molestation

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A former substitute teacher with the Reynolds School District is accused, in a lawsuit, of molesting at least one elementary school girl.

The $6,225,000 lawsuit, filed earlier this week by the now 18-year-old victim, alleges the abuse happened in 2008 when she was a 3rd-grader at Alder Elementary School.

At this point, KOIN 6 News is not identifying the former substitute teacher because he was never criminally charged and because he is not listed as a defendant in the civil lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit:

— The substitute teacher is accused of engaging in “grooming behavior,” and that he paid extra attention to 5 Hispanic students and complimented the girls. At one point, the substitute teacher called the alleged victim “Bonita,” which is Spanish for pretty.

“[The substitute teacher] also engaged in affectionate touching by hugging the five girls and rubbing their shoulders.”

— Between April and May 2008, the substitute teacher sexually abused the victim “on several occasions,” and is accused of sitting close to her and reaching under a table to touch her vagina.

— In October 2002, the substitute teacher was issued a formal letter of reprimand by the Beaverton School District after it was found out he exchanged inappropriate emails with students, gave students gifts, sent notes and cards to students and had inappropriate physical contact with a former student.

KOIN 6 News obtained state records that show the substitute teacher had his teaching license suspended for 30 days and was placed on a 4-year probation plan in August 2003 after he attempted to access “sexually explicit materials on his classroom computer on October 17, 2002.”

— Regarding the allegations in the civil lawsuit, records shows a police report was filed. The Teachers Standards and Practices Commission of Oregon received information from the Portland Police Bureau in June 2011 indicating the substitute teacher may have committed acts of “gross neglect of duty.”

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office confirms it received police reports about the allegations, but prosecutors sent the case back to the investigating officers for follow up. Additional information on what happened to the case was not immediately provided by the bureau.

— Reynolds School District failed to adequately monitor the substitute teacher’s behavior and that staff was not properly trained to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse.

District responses

A spokesperson with the Reynolds School District, Andrea Watson, told KOIN 6 News via email that she was looking into the matter.

Maureen Wheeler, a spokesperson with the Beaverton School District, confirmed the teacher’s employment with the district. The sub teacher was hired on August 31, 1998 and was terminated on August 20, 2003. Wheeler offered no other details.

The Teacher Standards and Practices Commission told KOIN 6 News it sent the sub teacher’s history to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Clearinghouse, a national collection point for professional educator discipline actions taken across the country.

KOIN 6 News has made multiple attempts, via phone and email, to reach the teacher named in the lawsuit. We have not heard back from him.