Courts - Pennsylvania Mother says schools turned blind eye to sex abuse Teacher is awaiting trial on 312 counts

By Joe Mandak Associated Press Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The mother of a teenager allegedly molested in school by her math teacher sued the school district, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the abuse and failing to train its staff in the wake of other sex-abuse cases. The woman filed a federal lawsuit late Wednesday against the Brookville Area School District, about 70 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and high school math teacher Karin Hetrick. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and alleges almost daily abuse of the girl, then 15, from November to March by Hetrick, 42. The lawsuit says the abuse took place during and after school hours in the classroom, in an athletic equipment closet, in Hetrick's car and at Hetrick's home, where the girl took piano lessons. Hetrick is awaiting trial on 312 counts, including dozens each of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault on a child under 16, corruption of minors, disseminating explicit sexual material to a minor, child pornography, and unlawful contact with a minor. Hetrick didn't immediately return a message left by The Associated Press on Thursday. School solicitor Thomas Breth said Hetrick resigned immediately after the allegations surfaced in March, and that "there is absolutely no basis in fact" that the district was lax. The lawsuit alleges Hetrick's conduct was an open secret among teachers and students. Among other things, the lawsuit said it was common knowledge that Hetrick regularly gave the girl rides to and from school functions, had the girl assigned to help Hetrick coach a sports team, and had the girl frequently visit Hetrick's classroom during school hours and afterward. One teacher even asked the girl why she was spending so much time in Hetrick's classroom, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit said school officials were told of the alleged sexual relationship on March 23, but Hetrick allegedly pulled the girl out of class the next day and told the girl "to tell her mother not to press the matter." The mother said she was not told of the relationship on March 23, nor was she aware that the school's principal questioned the girl the next day. The lawsuit contends criminal charges resulted only after the girl's mother, not school officials, went to the police on March 25. "The relationship between Karin Hetrick and (the girl) was open, obvious and notorious, and members of the school administration, school personnel, and other students either knew or should have known of the improprieties," the lawsuit said. Breth, the school attorney, disagreed. "Obviously, Karin Hetrick needs to account for the conduct of Karin Hetrick, so I am in no way defending the allegations as they relate to her conduct," Breth said. "But the specific allegation that the school district had prior knowledge of her conduct and was indifferent or did not take steps to address it is not based in fact, it's based in legal theory." To bolster that theory, the lawsuit details the sexual improprieties of teachers or other staff, including one teacher convicted of indecently assaulting a student during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 school years. Another teacher lost his state certification for allegedly making improper advances toward female students in 2006-07, after which the district got a grant to put a police officer in the high school to monitor such conduct. The lawsuit said the officer was eliminated after a year "because the school board did not feel that the position was necessary." Two other incidents in recent years involving allegations of improper sexual behavior by teachers or staff similarly resulted in "no action to curb or prevent this type of conduct in the future," the lawsuit said. Breth denied that. "An objective review of any of the prior incidents will establish that the school district acted appropriately," he said. Published: Fri, Aug 20, 2010

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