Exton, Pennsylvania - Former Church Farm School Employee Anjali Spera Charged with Several Sex Crimes For Allegedly Abusing Student

Former Pennsylvania Private School Employee Arrested in Florida on Sexual Assault Charges

Last Update: 7/13/2020

Lawyer Comments: In the second part of this article, school abuse attorney Guy D'Andrea will discuss the legal rights of private school sex abuse victims and their families.

A former Pennsylvania private school employee who now works at a Florida private school was arrested last month for allegedly sexually abusing a student during his time at the Pennsylvania school.

57-year-old Anjali Spera faces a laundry list of charges, including:

• 10 counts of statutory sexual assault
• 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor-sexual offenses
• 10 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age
• 10 counts of endangering the welfare of children
• 10 counts of corruption of minors
• 10 counts of indecent assault of a person less than 16

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Spera on these charges in May. According to the department, the charges date back to Spera’s time at Church Farm School in Exton, Pennsylvania – where he worked and lived on campus from 1995 to 2010. He is accused of sexually abusing a student there between 2008 and 2010.

Officials say that Spera moved to Florida in 2016 to work at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg and that he also lived on the campus there.

Spera is currently at the Pinellas County Jail awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.

Can I Sue a Private School For Sexual Abuse by an Employee?

Attorney contributor Guy D'Andrea is a former sex-crimes prosecutor who now represents victims and their families in civil lawsuits. Brian has offered to share some thoughts on the legal rights of private school sex abuse victims:

Schools have a legal and moral duty to make sure their students are safe. Sadly, child predators often seek out jobs at schools and in other fields that involve working with kids. When a school employee is charged with sexually abusing a student, we should investigate the perpetrator and also determine if the school met its legal duty to protect its students from preventable sexual abuse.

For example, a school could be considered negligent for failing to prevent abuse of a student if there had been previous reports of inappropriate behavior by the employee who was charged with sexually abusing the student, but no action was taken to address those reports. In cases of negligence, the victim and their family may have grounds for a lawsuit against the school.

If you or a loved one is a survivor of sexual abuse by a private school employee, you can learn more about your legal rights in a free consultation with one of our experienced sex abuse victim lawyers.

Sources

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/former-admiral-farragut-employee-arrested-florida-sexual-assault-charges-pennsylvania/67-e341d748-1b26-473c-ad50-153d6e60b205