The parents of a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly molested by his 27-year-old teacher are blaming the school district for failing to stop the abuse before it happened and have filed a notice of claim against Las Brisas Academy Elementary School. They are seeking $2.5 million in damages because the school was alerted to the inappropriate relationship between Brittany Zamora and their son, but did nothing to put it to an end.
According to the Arizona Republic, the 26-page notice of claim outlines a series of "missteps the school made by failing to properly investigate the teacher's relationship with her student, even after other students raised concerns in early February."
Zamora was arrested in March and pleaded not guilty to ten counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of molestation. She remains in jail while she awaits her trial.
The school district claimed that it launched an investigation after three students submitted written statements alleging the teacher was in a relationship with the young boy. They found the teacher was showing "favoritism" toward the student but did not find evidence she had engaged in sexual relations with him.
"We determined there were some elements of favoritism, and we gave the teacher some very specific direction on not allowing that favoritism to continue, and then we monitored to make sure those directions were followed," Richard Rundhaug, the school district's interim superintendent previously told the Arizona Republic.
Michael Medina, the family's lawyer, believes the district failed to fully investigate the claims and could have put a stop to it before it became sexual, pointing out that Zamora gave the boy her personal cell phone number and had sent him naked photos.
"It was preventable," said Medina. "We want to hold the school district accountable so this never happens again in the future."