Michigan School District Sued For Teacher-Student Sex
GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - Five boys have filed a lawsuit against the Grand Rapids school district, accusing officials of failing to protect them against the sexual advances of a female teacher.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court comes 13 months after math teacher Jamila Williams, 37, was sentenced to at least eight years in prison for having sex with four boys at Grand Rapids University Prep Academy.
The boys are being represented by nationally-known attorney Gloria Allred and local attorney Genie Eardley. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and changes in the district's treatment of allegations of sexual violence and harassment.
The lawsuit says that school officials failed to take action to help the boys when the sexual allegations became known in 2013.
School district spokesman John Helmholdt declined to comment on the lawsuit, which claims the boys were deprived of a normal childhood education due to Williams' alleged conduct and the resulting education environment.
Williams, who has four children and two stepchildren, apologized and asked for forgiveness when she was sentenced last year but says she didn't "prey" on the boys, two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds.
Williams was charged after two male students, ages 15 and 16, told police they had inappropriate contact with the math teacher at multiple locations. After the case became public, police received similar complaints about Williams from two additional students, also ages 15 and 16, and brought additional charges.
Investigators say Williams had sex with the boys in a variety of locales between January and June, including at one of their homes, a locked classroom at the school, a Golden Corral restaurant and in a motor vehicle, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Williams pleaded no contest to four counts of criminal sexual conduct — three in the third degree and one in the second degree. In return for her pleas, three additional criminal sexual conduct charges were dropped.
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