Family of 8-year-old girl sues Sierra Canyon School in LA alleging daughter was sexually assaulted by older students
CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The family of an 8-year-old girl is suing a school in Chatsworth, alleging their daughter was sexually assaulted by older students as part of a so-called “Kissing Club” and the school failed to do enough to stop it, or report it, once they found out.
According to the family, their daughter, who was 7 years old at the time of the incident, was sexually assaulted in the bathrooms of Sierra Canyon School, a private school serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th Grade, during school hours.
The lawsuit alleges that older girls pressured and coerced younger girls into kissing and other forms of sexual assault.
They allege the school faculty didn’t provide adequate supervision, and when school staff learned about the activity, including finding video evidence on students’ phones, they allegedly failed to notify the victim’s parents and law enforcement in a timely manner — describing it as a cover-up and a violation of California’s mandatory reporting laws.
“As a mother, the feeling of being hopeless and not being able to protect my child from this harm that 100% could have been avoided is crushing. My focus is on the systems and the safeguards that have failed to protect my child,” said the victim’s mother.
The family says the apparent ringleader of the “Kissing Club” was not expelled, but no longer attends the school.
According to the law firm, this is the second lawsuit against Sierra Canyon school, outlining similar allegations.
ABC7 has contacted the school, but so far, they haven’t released any statement regarding the lawsuit.
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