A jury began hearing testimony Wednesday morning in the trial of a school principal for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), accused of failing to report the molestation of a girl with special needs.
In May 2015, the then seven-year-old child was allegedly fondled by a group of three fellow students inside a school bathroom. She is a special-needs student who has vocal cord paralysis and uses a feeding tube.
Principal Bruce Ferguson at Byron M. Green Elementary School was suspected of not reporting the incident or following up with other measures to ensure the student's safety.
The mother of the girl, identified as LaToya to protect the victim's identity, filed a civil lawsuit after the principal failed to report the incident.
Due to her vocal cord paralysis, the child was unable to scream out or cry for help. The victim told her mother that she "just stood there and cried" while three other students fondled her.
LaToya told NBC 7 that the principal assured them he would take care of the incident when she reported it with her daughter.
"He looked at my daughter and said 'I will take care of it. I apologize for what happened to you and I will take care of it'," the mother recalled.
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The suit alleges the principal and the school district were aware of similar problems at the school, and did not take further action.
