Lawsuit accuses longtime Mid-Del elementary principal of abusing student
A young girl has accused her elementary school principal of sexual abuse in a lawsuit against him and Midwest City-Del City Public Schools.
Two adults filed the lawsuit Friday on the child’s behalf in Oklahoma County District Court. It is The Oklahoman’s policy not to report identifying information of alleged sexual abuse victims.
The lawsuit alleges the longtime principal of Parkview Elementary, Michael Stiglets, touched the student’s bottom over her clothes while “hugging her and forcing her to stay in his grasp.” This occurred at least three times while she attended the school from 2018 to 2021, the lawsuit states.
The student disclosed the allegations in December 2021, according to court documents. Her lawsuit claims the principal similarly groped one of her classmates.
The plaintiffs contend the Mid-Del school district was negligent in failing to prevent and report the alleged abuse. They asked a judge to award them at least $75,000 in damages.
More: Former Stilwell Elementary teacher accused of sexually abusing six students
Long known by the nickname Mr. Piggy, Stiglets retired from Parkview Elementary last month and, according to his social media account, accepted a position with a counseling and therapy center.
He has not been charged with a crime.
The Oklahoma City Police Department looked into the accusations, said Stacey Boyer, spokesperson for Mid-Del schools.
“Mr. Stiglets and the District fully cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation into these allegations,” Boyer said. “No charges resulted from the investigation and Mr. Stiglets retired at the end of the school year after a 46 year career in education.”
The Oklahoman was unable to reach Stiglets for comment.
A records search showed no police reports have been filed against Stiglets with Oklahoma City police.
Before she reported the allegations, the student began to display behavioral problems and declined academically, court documents allege. She has suffered from emotional distress because of the alleged abuse, she claims.
The student’s attorney, Ashley Leavitt, encouraged other Parkview students to come forward if they have similar allegations. She called the situation “extremely unfortunate.”
“We believe it was also entirely preventable,” Leavitt said. “We filed this lawsuit seeking justice for our clients. The majority of the facts known at this time are contained in our Petition, but we are confident there are other victims who may come forward after hearing about this lawsuit.”
Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Retired Mid-Del elementary principal accused of abuse in lawsuit
