A man who raped his step-daughter was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday. But the case continues. The victim's mother is suing Columbus Public Schools for failing to report the abuse to authorities. Tera Wilson is suing the Columbus Board of Education and 13 school district employees. The mother claims schools officials did not notify proper authorities after her daughter told them of the abuse.
One of Wilson's attorneys is Jeffrey Glasgow.
We allege in that law suit that certain things happened and certain duties were not fulfilled.
In addition to the school board, Wilson is suing former Woodward Park Middle School assistant principal, Ofir Sisco; teacher Kerry Myers and counselor Michelle Hooper and ten unidentified people.
The suit claims that on several occasions throughout the first three weeks of January the 14-year-old girl told Sisco, Myers and Hooper that she was being abused. The suit claims assistant principal Sisco wrote a report of the girl's allegations and set up a meeting with mother, the victim and the man accused of abusing the teenager. The mother says school officials did nothing for two weeks. Wilson claims school officials did not hand over the report to authorities until after the step-father was arrested.
School officials declined comment on the pending case, and calls made to the school district's attorneys were not returned in time for broadcast. However, in court documents school officials deny the allegations.
Glasgow says the case continues and they are seeking unspecified damages. Well we're seeking damages. We haven't really quantified those the way the Ohio law says, you ask for damages above $25,000 because I believe that's the jurisdiction in the common pleas court. We believe the damages were much, much more than $25,000. So they are substantial.
The district says it has since changed its policy on how and when suspected cases of abuse and neglect should be reported. Assistant principal Sisco reportedly no longer works for the school system.