TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The mother of a Florida magnet school student says her child was sexually assaulted and is blaming Hillsborough County School Board in a recent lawsuit.
A lawsuit was filed Jan. 9 against Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School and the School Board of Hillsborough County by Jane Doe, on behalf of a minor identified as T.F. The complaint alleges that during the 2020 school year, T.F. was sexually assaulted multiple times due to negligent supervision by her teacher at Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School.
The plaintiff argues that the school's negligence resulted in substantial damage to T.F.'s well-being.
"The careless and negligent supervision of the students at Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School caused substantial damage to the Plaintiff’s well-being," the suit says.
"Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School owed a duty to the public and to the Plaintiff to operate and its premises in a reasonably safe condition. Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School breached that duty by failing to operate and maintain its premises in a reasonably safe manner, by allowing T.F. to get sexually assaulted multiple times during school hours."
The suit, filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court, says Jane Doe did not become aware of the sexual assault until a Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation began in April 2022. The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and is represented by Jonathan A. Foster from The Pendas Law Firm.