More alumni of school that was ‘predators’ playground’ file suit against district
Another lawsuit is being filed against the El Monte Union High School District related to alleged sexual abuse at Rosemead High School that was detailed by a journalist and school alumnus.
Business Insider reporter Matt Drange noted in a report published in October that “altogether, I corroborated dozens of instances of sexual misconduct, involving 20 different educators, ranging from lewd remarks about students’ bodies to statutory rape.”
“Grooming was so rampant that in a couple of cases, more than one educator targeted the same girl,” he added. “Two teachers appear to have maintained sexual relationships with more than one student at the same time.”
The large amount of misconduct lasted over four decades, Drange noted in “The predators’ playground.”
While one group of former students filed suit against the district in May, another group of nine alumni are filing a suit with similar claims of sex abuse, they and their attorneys said in Wednesday press conference.
“These sexual predators and deviants at Rosemead High School were perpetrating their abuses for years in the late ’90s and early 2000s,” said attorney Michael Carrillo. “With the other cases that we have, that [abuse] continued all the way up until the mid 2000s. Again, we ask ourselves, ‘What’s being done to change Rosemead High School? What is the district doing to make sure that there’s not additional Jane Does like what we have on our hands here today?'”
In a statement, the school district said it “cannot comment on pending litigation.”
“With that said, The District is deeply committed to the success of its students, and we work diligently to foster positive learning environments and ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all students entrusted to our care,” the statement said. “We do not tolerate any behavior that undermines those values and we take swift and decisive action if we suspect student safety is being compromised in any way.”
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