SFUSD reaches $1.5M settlement in sex abuse lawsuit involving former counselor
The San Francisco Unified School District has settled a sexual abuse lawsuit for $1.5 million stemming from a case a decade ago where a high school teacher-counselor was accused of grooming a student and school officials allegedly ignored it.
The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the school district settled the case involving Harlen Edelman, a former teacher and counselor at Lowell High School, who was accused of grooming a young male student identified only as John Doe during the 2004-2005 school year.
According to the lawsuit, Edelman helped the student improve his grades just to gain his trust. Edelman reportedly abused the victim on the Lowell High School campus, including in his office and classroom.
Edelman's victim sought therapy in 2008, where he revealed for the first time what happened to him under his former teacher, the lawsuit says.
Edelman, meanwhile, taught at the SFUSD Academy - San Francisco @ McAteer and worked for the school district until he resigned in September 2013. The following year, he was arrested in a police operation in Mountain View after he reportedly posed as a 17-year-old boy on a gay website and tried to meet up with a minor at a park.
Upon learning this, Edelman's victim recounted his experiences to Mountain View police.
"It was hard to tell my story to MVPD and then again for my case, but litigation was one of the last ways I thought that I could be seriously heard," the plaintiff said in a press release.
The lawsuit also alleges that another student reported that she had been sexually assaulted during the same school year by another counselor and that Edelman helped cover up for that counselor. School officials were accused of not taking proper action despite the student and the parents reporting the sexual assault.
"School officials admitted that they felt there was no reason to supervise any of the counselors more closely," attorney Lauren Cerri said in the press release. "Had they done so, most likely Edelman's abuse of my client would have been detected and stopped."
SFUSD described the sexual abuse cases as a "deeply troubling situation".
"At SFUSD, the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. No child should ever be subjected to this kind of behavior by an adult entrusted with their care and education. We remain committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that our schools are safe, supportive environments where every student can thrive," district spokesperson Laura Dudnick said in a statement.
Dudnick said the school district has increased "education and awareness about appropriate adult-student boundaries, sexual harassment or abuse and how to report possible conduct."
"SFUSD is committed to ensuring students know their rights and that school site staff are adequately trained to respond to all reports in a student-centered, transparent, and supportive way," she said.
