A mother in South Florida is suing a private school after she says, in a lawsuit, that her teenage daughter was groomed by a school security guard. The family is now taking legal action against the institution it had trusted with the girl's care.
According to the case, the incident allegedly took place in February. The security guard was arrested, and the attorney representing the family has since filed a lawsuit seeking 20 million dollars in damages over what happened.
The mother believes her 17-year-old daughter was betrayed by the school she attended. In her account, a security guard befriended the teenager and allegedly met her away from school grounds for a sexual act.
To protect the daughter's identity, the family is not being fully identified. The mother said that when she sends her children to school, it is for an education, and that she trusts the teachers and the staff who are around them.
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Bernardo Pimentel II and names the school, Alpha Foundation Academies. The mother said that the people she had looked to to protect her daughter outside of her own home had failed to do so.
A 24-year-old man who worked as a security guard at the school in February has been charged with an unlawful sex act with a minor by an authority figure. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
The mother says her daughter has not recovered from the experience and is currently undergoing therapy, adding that she has had suicidal thoughts. Efforts to reach the school, including messages to two deans, as well as the man's public defender, had not been answered.