Manatee County Schools Face Lawsuit for Negligence
A former student and her mother are suing the district, claiming officials did nothing to protect her from being sexually assaulted by Manatee High School’s former football coach.
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. – Manatee County Schools is facing a lawsuit filed by a former Manatee High School student and her mother, who claim the district violated federal Title IX requirements.
The five-count lawsuit states that former football coach Rod Frazier pulled the former student out of class to get her alone and flirt with her, Herald Tribune reports.
The plaintiff claims that Frazier lied to Manatee High teacher and staff, telling them that the girl was troubled from an abusive family in an effort to get her alone. When in Frazier’s office, the former coach allegedly touched the girl inappropriately and asked her to perform oral sex and send nude photos.
The teen says that when she tried to pull away or avoid him in school, he would write her up for small violations so she would still have to come into his office.
The plaintiff eventually transferred from Manatee High School.
The incidents began when the girl was 15 and occurred from December 2010 to June 2012.
Frazier eventually pleaded no contest to four counts of battery and two counts of interfering with a student’s attendance. As part of a deal, he received three years’ probation and six months of house arrest.
The girl and her parent accuse the district of being negligent and not protecting her from sexual abuse and harassment. Additionally, the family states that because the girl missed class, she was losing out on educational opportunities, a violation of Title IX.
The teen and her family claim she suffered emotional and psychological damage, loss of the ability to enjoy life, aggravation of a previously existing condition and medical expenses.
The teen and her mother filed anonymously and are suing for more than $15,000.
This is the third lawsuit filed against the district in recent months. In May, Adinah Torres, a former parent liaison at Manatee High, sued the district, accusing school administrators of retaliating against her when she spoke out in the Frazier case.
Lynn Aragon, a teacher at the school, is also suing the district under Title IX for alleged retaliation.
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