PHILADELPHIA - A charter school allowed sexual abuse to occur, a federal lawsuit brought by a Jane Doe says.
A lawsuit was filed Jan. 29 against the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) and the Center for Performing and Fine Arts (CPFA) by a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe. The case was lodged in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The complaint alleges that Doe, a former student of CPFA, was sexually abused approximately 100 times over two years by Seth J. Reich, a former teacher at the school who is now incarcerated. The abuse allegedly took place between 2019 and 2021 when Doe was aged between 17 and 19.
It is claimed that despite reports about Reich's inappropriate behavior towards minor female students being known to the leadership of both institutions, no meaningful action was taken to protect Doe or other students from him. The suit argues that this failure put Doe at risk of sexual harm and resulted in her suffering injury.
The plaintiff accuses PALCS of violating Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 due to its deliberate indifference to known acts of sexual harassment and abuse which barred her access to educational opportunity and benefits.
The plaintiff is represented by Nathaniel Foote and Veronica Hubbard of Andreozzi + Foote.