Former student sues Oregon school district for $10 million after teacher pleads guilty to child sexual abuse

A former student at Oregon’s Lebanon High School is suing the school district for $10 million over accusations of sexual abuse. The suit was prompted when Jennifer Burton, a former employee of the high school pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor third-degree sexual abuse charge in August. Burton received a sentence of three years probation, 45 days in jail and registration as a sex offender.

Portland attorney Nicole Lemieux filed the lawsuit in the Linn County Circuit Court in October and she alleges the district inappropriately hired Burton. She also alleges the district failed to assess her client’s claims or protect her despite “receiving credible reports” of improper behavior, The Oregonian reported Monday.

The lawsuit alleges that Burton started “grooming” the male student when he was playing football with Burton’s children. When the student moved to Lebanon High School, Burton and her husband were associated with the school’s football team and she allegedly “demonstrated a particular interest” in him that included provocative language and physical contact with his upper body.

Burton started to transmit “inappropriate and unsolicited communications” on Facebook and Snapchat and “often steered the conversation to sexual topics,” according to the lawsuit. These messages allegedly had attachments of nude photos and videos of Burton and she requested that he respond in kind.

The lawsuit alleges that Burton consummated her obsession with the student when she invited the boy to join her on a drive to a park where the two had sex in the back of her car. Burton allegedly wanted to repeat that experience but cooled towards the relationship when the student turned 18 and she “moved on to her next victim," the suit alleges.

The lawsuit alleges that there were other students targeted by Burton but does not specify how many. It says the school district did not properly respond to accusations of wrongdoing but only put Burton “with even more vulnerable children as a special education teacher.” The lawsuit also blames the district for failing to educate its employees about observing and reporting child abuse.

The complaint alleges that Burton was practicing sexual abuse while “acting in the course and scope of her agency and employment” and is demanding compensation of up to $722,000 for each incident of sexual violation.

The complaint also accuses the school district of fraud because it falsely claimed that its curriculum was “safe and beneficial for children” while it was “aware that students were at risk of child sexual abuse by trusted staff members under the then-existing policies and practices of the school.”