BELLINGHAM — Bellingham Public Schools has denied that it mishandled a student’s sexual assault reports brought to the attention of three administrators nearly a year ago and that the school district took reasonable steps to stop the reported harassment, according to the school district’s response filed Thursday in a federal civil rights lawsuit.
A 16-year-old female former Squalicum High School filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court’s Western District of Washington against Bellingham Public Schools. The student alleged the district violated her federal Title IX rights, failed in its duty to protect and care for her and neglected its duties to report the sexual assaults to law enforcement, The Bellingham Herald previously reported.
In the student’s lawsuit, which was filed on her behalf by her attorney, the student alleged that when she reported the sexual assaults to three Squalicum High School administrators, one asked what she would like him to do about it, another failed to acknowledge the student’s report and a third required the student to participate in a “restorative circle” with the male student she accused of abusing her, according to court records.
But in a response filed Thursday, Dec. 12, to the student’s lawsuit, Bellingham Public Schools’ attorneys said the assault allegations contained in the student’s lawsuit were not reported to the administrators and the conduct that was reported to them was not considered abuse or neglect under state law.
The school district’s attorneys also stated that the district took appropriate steps to stop the harassment the female student reported, including putting an agreed-upon no-contact order in place between the two students, asking the female student if she wanted to make a law enforcement report, conducting an investigation into the allegations reported and removing the male student from school, according to the federal court records.
The Herald has reached out to Bellingham Public Schools and the female student’s attorney for comment.
The three administrators, Jeremy Gilbert Louzao, Maude Chimere Hackney and Meghan V. Dunham, were each issued criminal citations in Whatcom County District Court on Dec. 7 for failure to report, which is a gross misdemeanor.
The administrators’ attorneys have each filed not-guilty pleas on their behalfs and Louzao, Hackney and Dunham are expected to appear in court later this month.
At the time the citations were issued, Louzao and Dunham were serving as assistant principals at Squalicum High School, while Hackney was serving as an assistant principal at Bellingham High School.
As of Jan. 3, all three have been reassigned to the school district’s Department of Teaching and Learning, where they will support district-level administrative work, The Herald previously reported.
Bellingham Public Schools has yet to decide whether the staffing changes will be made permanent and does not have a timeline for when that decision will be made by.
The Herald has reached out to three administrators’ attorneys for comment.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
