The parents of two legally blind girls have filed a federal lawsuit against two suburban
The federal suit filed Monday names
Both girls were eight at the time of the alleged sexual assaults at Garden City’s
One of the girls suffers from congenital glaucoma and other eye problems, and the other has oculocutaneous albinism, which means she is extremely sensitive to light. They both are visually impaired and considered legally blind.
The specialist was employed by
According to the lawsuit, the specialist fondled the chest of one of the girls in a room with no windows and the door closed at
About a week later, the lawsuit says, the specialist blocked the same girl's already impaired vision using devices that completely cover the eye, called occluders. The girl then felt his penis in her hand. She told him she felt uncomfortable and removed the occluders just as he zipped his pants.
The lawsuit says the other girl was with the specialist in the same room in
The girl also told him she felt uncomfortable and removed the occluders to find the specialist pulling up and zipping his pants. She told her mother who contacted the girl’s third-grade teacher. Garden City schools and city police then began an investigation.
Garden City police Sgt.
“The warrant was denied in 2020 because there was insufficient evidence to charge a criminal case,” the
The girl alleging the abuse in 2018 didn’t tell her mother about it until
“Their stories are absolutely identical over a year apart,” said
Garden City said Monday that the district was unable to comment about the lawsuit “at this time due to the sensitivity of the matter.”
Garden City ended its contract with
Johnson said the districts must detail the allegations in the specialist's records so other schools can be aware.
“Say why you're doing it and what the allegations are,” Johnson said. “You've got to put this in people's files so the next school district will know.”
“He came here from the west side of the state and we want to know if there are any victims over there who can give us any information,” Johnson said.
District officials named in the lawsuit are accused of failing to enact or provide training on proper policies regarding how minor students are to be left alone and unsupervised with adults.
“I'm hurt, disgusted,” the mother of one of the girls said during a news conference Monday. “How do I trust someone to help us take care of her.” The AP is not naming the mother so as not to identify the child.
The AP left messages Monday seeking comment from the specialist and
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