Lawsuit: School ignored reports of sexual abuse

A lawsuit alleges Douglas County school officials ignored reports from students about a teacher who later pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child.

The Denver Post reported Tuesday the lawsuit alleges students were required to apologize to the teacher after reporting that another student was being abused. The suit says the alleged victim’s parents weren’t notified.

A school district spokeswoman declined to comment on the suit.

The federal lawsuit was filed by the parents of the alleged victim.

The newspaper didn’t identify the parents to protect the girl’s identity. The Associated Press follows a similar policy.

The teacher, Richard “Rick” Johnson, pleaded guilty to the exploitation counts in September 2013 and prosecutors dropped charges of sexual assault on a child. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.