Former Fenton High School teacher sexually abused student: lawsuit

BENSENVILLE, Ill. - A lawsuit has been filed against the Fenton Community High School District 100 board on behalf of a woman alleging she was sexually abused as a student at Fenton Community High School in Bensenville by a former teacher.

The complaint alleged that the plaintiff was a full-time student at Fenton High School in 2015-2016 when the abuse occurred. Over this period of time, the student was sexually harassed, assaulted, and repeatedly raped by the staff member, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit claimed that, despite their awareness of the teacher’s dangerous behavior toward minors at the school, the Fenton Community High School board failed to remove him, allowing the alleged abuse of several minors to continue for years.

The civil rights suit was filed by Janet, Janet & Suggs LLC, a Maryland-based law firm that specializes in cases involving sexual abuse and other high stake matters.

"We are honored to file this lawsuit on behalf of our brave client who had the courage to come forward to hold the Fenton Community High School District 100 Board of Education accountable for what the Complaint describes as persistent, pervasive, and flagrant failures to protect her and other students from predatory behavior," said attorney Patrick A. Thronson of Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC.

The teacher was fired earlier this year and the district’s superintendent was placed on administrative leave as a result of the ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct.

Parents and students packed previous school board meetings, demanding changes and accusing school leaders of ignoring complaints.

The Fenton Community High School District 100 board voted last month to hire Franczek PC, a Chicago-based educational law firm, to assess sexual abuse allegations against a former teacher.