GOODYEAR, AZ — A Valley school district is being sued for millions, accused of failing to prevent sixth-grade teacher Brittany Zamora from carrying out a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student last February.
The lawsuit points at systemic failures when it comes to the Liberty Elementary School District and officials at Las Brisas Academy in Goodyear; everything from improperly reporting claims of misconduct by Zamora, to failing to monitor school social media channels.
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The suit says Zamora used the district's social media platform, "Class Craft", to initially pursue and groom the teen. The application is used for educational purposes, but lawyers for the victim say Zamora contacted and eventually provided her personal cell phone number and Instagram handle to the student through that platform.
The suit alleges if the school had properly monitored that social platform, this case may never have happened.
"It's about accountability," said Russ Richelsoph, the victim's attorney. "It's about this school district and every other school district who's watching, make a decision in the future to not sweep this thing under the rug, because if they do it's going to be expensive."
The victim and their attorneys are suing for $2.5 million in damages.
The suit, which also names Zamora's husband, accused the school principal of failing to act on credible information that could have stopped the crime from occurring as well.
For anyone who has experienced or suspects abuse, the National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-4-A-CHILD. The hotline is available by call and text, and is staffed by professional crisis counselors.
