Kidnap Victim's Family Presses Lawsuit Against Philadelphia School District
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The end of the criminal trial in the kidnapped kindergartener case is not the end of the story.
The family of the little girl who was abducted from her West Philadelphia kindergarten class continues to pursue legal action against the Philadelphia school district.
Family attorney Tom Kline says that although the little girl has shown resilience and maturity far beyond her years, the incident showed the "abysmal failures of the Philadelphia school district."
"If it were not for the City of Philadelphia's reckless conduct, this little girl would have never fallen into the hands of Christina Regusters," Kline said today outside the Criminal Justice Center, following Regusters' conviction on charges of kidnapping and child molestation.
According to police, Regusters went to Bryant Elementary School dressed in Muslim clothing and was able to take the child out of class without providing proper ID.
Kline says that while the family got justice, "There's still a day of reckoning for the School District of Philadelphia," which he says failed to adequately train and screen the substitute teacher who allowed a stranger to take the girl out of school that day.
A federal civil rights lawsuit against the district is pending.