3rd lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct by Paxton-Buckley-Loda teacher filed

PAXTON, Ill. (WAND) - A third lawsuit has been filed in Ford County Circuit Court accusing a Paxton-Buckley-Loda teacher and former coach of sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday by civil rights attorney Bhavani Raveendran. It seeks more than $50,000 in damages of the now-adult plaintiff, who was between the ages of 11 and 13 at the time of the alleged abuse.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff accused the suspended teacher of inappropriately touching her over 50 times.

The 5-count lawsuit also accuses district staff members, including two former superintendents and a school principal, of failing to act despite at least 22 reports of misconduct against the teacher. The lawsuit claims that the administrators allegedly dismissed the concerns and failed to follow the school district's policies by not notifying DCFS.

WAND News reached out to District 10 for a response to the lawsuit. The district declined to comment.

Attorney Raveendran has now filed three lawsuits on behalf of 5 plaintiffs: 3 former students, a parent of a former student, and a parent of a current student.