A teacher's aide for the Houston Independent School District's Worthing High School faces sexual assault charges for allegedly coercing a male student into sexual activity. 51-year-old Tedria Fluellen has been charged with sexual assault of a child under 17.
Court documents say that Fluellen admitted to having sex with the 16-year-old student four times - at the student's home, Fluellen's home, the parking lot of Worthing High School, and a storage unit.
The student's grandmother reported the alleged sexual abuse after reportedly discovering sexually explicit text messages and photos on a phone that Fluellen gave to him on his birthday.
The alleged abuse happened over the course of two years. Fluellen and the alleged victim knew each other through Worthing High School but they also attended the same Baptist Church.
Attorney contributor Anjali Nigam is a defender of victims' rights and now represents sex abuse victims and their families in civil lawsuits against sexual predators and negligent third parties who have failed to prevent sexual abuse. Here are some thoughts from Anjali on the legal rights of those who have been sexually abused by school employees:
Our schools have an extremely important legal and moral responsibility to make sure the students in our communities are safe. Tragically, sexual predators are often not strangers, but people in positions of trust who were close to their victims. Our attorneys regularly see this in cases involving teachers and other school employees sexually abusing students.
When a student reports being sexually abused by a school employee, it's important to investigate both the accused employee and the school itself. The police and criminal justice system will handle the investigation of the employee, while civil lawyers can investigate the school to determine if any form of negligence played a role in enabling the abuse. In cases involving negligence, school sex abuse victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit against the school district.
If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a school employee, you can learn more about your legal rights in a free consultation with one of our experienced sex abuse victims lawyers.
https://abc13.com/teachers-aide-accused-of-having-sex-with-student-in-storage-unit/5714184/