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Lawsuit claims Idaho school failed to protect child

Posted at 3:45 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 17:45:20-05

A recently filed lawsuit claims a former staffer at a southwestern Idaho school sexually assaulted a child while other office employees did nothing to stop the behavior.

The Idaho Statesman reports that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of a minor on Jan. 5. The lawsuit comes after former Kuna School District office manager Melissa Whiteley was fired and was the focus of police investigation for inappropriate conduct with a minor. No charges have been filed against Whiteley and the investigation is still ongoing.

The lawsuit claims Whiteley "groomed" a child --who attorney say has a learning disorder -- in seventh, eighth and ninth grades. The lawsuit goes on to allege that district staffers failed to protect the victim.

The child's lawyer seeks $2 million in damages.

School district spokesman David Reinhart declined to comment due to the active lawsuit.