Four families took a settlement of $15 million this week from the Evergreen School District in San Jose, California. The parents alleged the school district and officials ignored multiple incidents of molestation of students by Craig Chandler, a second-grade teacher at O.B. Whaley Elementary School.
The parents of the students said the district ignored reports about Chandler's behavior. Chandler was found guilty of five counts of child molestation in 2013 and sentenced to 75 years in prison. He blindfolded and molested the girls in his class, waiting for the other students to leave class so victims would be isolated, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Though the criminal lawsuit is over, the settled suit targeted the district itself as well as the school's former principal, vice principal and human resources director. Parents first became suspicious of Chandler in 2011. School officials were notified at the time, but charges were not filed against him by the school.
Following an incident in 2012, a parent notified the district of Chandler's actions toward her daughter. The district told the mother to contact Chandler so he could explain. Instead of contacting Chandler, she reached out to authorities, and police arrested Chandler the day the mother reported what he did.
Parents argued that if previously reported incidents had been investigated properly, Chandler could have been stopped earlier and fewer children would have suffered from his actions. The Mercury News noted that one of the school officials involved was convicted in an earlier trial of failing to report suspected child abuse.
The families opted for the settlement to avoid having their children testify again, as it is often an emotional and painful experience, the Mercury News noted. The children had to testify in the criminal case against Chandler. Because a settlement was reached, the school and former employees will not have to take responsibility for any wrongdoing.
"I am glad this legal matter is over. For my little girl, it will never be over," a mother of one of the children involved told the newspaper. "As parents, we trust them to protect our children."
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