You may think preying on kids couldn’t happen in an idyllic small city like Eustis, but the truth is, they can happen anywhere.
Every nine minutes, a child in the United States is sexually assaulted, or 60,000 children a year, according to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). There have been hundreds of educator-related arrests in recent years, including in Florida. Our local personal injury attorneys understand the torment that these acts can cause families, and we are here to help you get the compensation needed for your child’s care after teacher sex abuse claims in Eustis.
Teacher sex abuse occurs when an educator – who can be a principal, teacher, assistant or substitute teacher, coach, or any employee or volunteer who works with children at a school – engages in sexual relations, improper touching, or related acts such as showing a minor child pornography. About 35 percent of those arrested after teacher sex abuse claims use social media to gain a student’s trust and deepen the teacher-student connection as a tool for grooming them for sexual offenses.
Whether you suspect something is wrong because of your child’s behavior, or your teen confesses to an affair with a teacher, there are some actions you should take. In Eustis, FL, the age of consent to a sexual encounter is 18, and even if a student is 18, a teacher can be fired and lose their teaching license for this behavior. Make sure you or your child:
Although it is up to the State’s Attorney to file a criminal charge, we work to get you the compensation your child will need for physical, emotional, and psychological damage inflicted by the teacher. The school district may also liable for its negligence in hiring and, in many cases, concealing or ignoring acts of abuse. If you have a teacher sex abuse claim, contact our firm now for compassionate guidance.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sexual discrimination in schools, and protects students from sex abuse, harassment, and assaults. Schools are required to adopt protocols concerning how to handle teacher and professor sex abuse claims. We can help you file a claim against a school district or university that failed to protect your child from harassment or assault, which can be in addition to filing a civil action.
The statute of limitations is the amount of time someone has to file a civil lawsuit. This deadline differs when the injured person is a minor. If your child’s abuse occurred prior to 2020, under Florida law they have seven years after reaching age 18 to sue a teacher, school, school district, and anyone involved in aiding or covering up teacher sex abuse claims in Eustis. With the passage of Donna’s Law in 2020, the statute of limitations for child sex abuse was abolished. Filing a civil claim for a damages award is emotionally charged, but it will give the abused child the chance to find closure and justice with your help and ours.
No teacher has the right to touch a child inappropriately, film or photograph them in sexually compromising positions, engage in sexual relations, coerce, threaten, or make any child feel unsafe. To do so is abuse. Although it is up to the prosecutor’s office to file criminal charges and a school to investigate, there is plenty you can do with our help.
Your child may be entitled to compensation for the emotional and physical trauma they suffer because someone who is supposed to protect them violates that trust. If you have questions about teacher sex abuse claims in Eustis and wonder how we can help you, call our law office today.