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According to Indy Star, 44-year-old Christopher William Pollard was accused of sexually assaulting a student while employed as a teacher at South Hagerstown High School located at 1101 S Potomac St, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
On Friday, September 17, 2021, Pollard was arrested for charges of sexually assaulting a student from April 1 and Oct. 31, 2010. Pollard was a social studies teacher in addition to a tennis coach at the high school. The student is said to have been coached by him, and the assault took place at his home while his wife was not home.
An investigation has been in process since July 2020. Police stated that the charges from Maryland were reported to the Indiana Department of Child Services in January of 2021 when they found out Pollard was working in Indiana at the private school. The school stated that they were unaware of the pending charges and conducted a background check that came back clean.
Since July of 2020, Pollard relocated to the Indianapolis area and took another teaching position at Sycamore School located at 1750 W 64th St, Indianapolis, IN 46260. Pollard was put in charge of the before and after-school care programs at the private school. The school has reported that Pollard has been fired and is banned from the campus.
Attorney contributor Aaron Blank is a sexual assault lawyer with years of experience representing victims of sexual assault in civil lawsuits. Aaron has provided his knowledge on the legal rights of victims sexually abused by a teacher or coach.
"School administration has a legal duty to provide a safe learning environment for the children in their care. In order to provide this safety, schools should do their best to keep predators from gaining employment on the campus. This duty of care should limit the chances of misconduct taking place. Unfortuntunatley, numerous cases of sexual assault have taken place by teachers and coaches. To better prevent sexual abuse from occurring, schools and their administration could conduct stringent background checks, install cameras throughout the campus, and utilize a reporting system."
"If schools lack the safety measures, they may be held liable in the event that abuse takes place. Victims and their families are encouraged to hire an experienced sexual assault lawyer to learn about their legal options following abuse by a teacher or coach at a school. Frequently, sexual misconduct occurs due to the negligence of a third party, such as an employer. The negligence could include if misconduct was reported but ignored or not adequately investigated. In cases of neglect, victims and their families may have reasonable grounds to file a civil lawsuit and even receive compensation for damages."
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