Parents entrust schools with the most precious responsibility there is: the safety of their children. Students, too, place their trust in the adults who teach, coach, and care for them. When a school betrays that trust—when a teacher, coach, staff member, or even another student abuses a child, and the institution failed to prevent it—the harm can last a lifetime. Survivors and their families deserve answers, and they deserve accountability.
At Gilman & Bedigian, we represent survivors of sexual abuse in schools and educational settings. We understand how painful and complicated these cases can be, especially when the institution involved is one a family trusted. We approach every survivor with compassion and discretion, and we have the experience and resolve to hold schools and school systems accountable.
You are not alone. Confidential support is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Speaking with our team is also free and confidential.
When you are ready, we are here. Call 1-800-529-6162 (phones answered 24/7) or request a free, confidential consultation online. There is no fee unless we win your case.
Sexual Abuse in Schools and Educational Settings
Sexual abuse in an educational setting can take many forms and can occur at every level—from daycares and preschools to K-12 schools and colleges and universities. It can be committed by a person in a position of authority or by a peer. The common thread in the cases we handle is institutional failure: a school that did not screen, supervise, protect, or respond as it should have.
The educational settings where these cases arise include public school districts, private and parochial schools, charter schools, colleges and universities, daycare and preschool programs, and after-school and extracurricular programs. The individuals responsible may include teachers, coaches, aides, administrators, bus drivers, custodial and support staff, volunteers, and other students.
What unites these cases is a simple principle: schools owe their students a heightened duty of care. When a school breaches that duty and a child is harmed, the law provides a path to accountability.
How Schools Fail to Protect Students
School abuse cases almost always involve more than a single bad actor. They involve an institution that had the power to prevent harm and failed to use it. Common institutional failures include:
Negligent hiring and inadequate background checks
Schools have a duty to vet the people they place in contact with children. Failing to conduct proper background checks, ignoring red flags in an applicant's history, or hiring someone known to be dangerous can expose a school to liability.
Failure to supervise
Inadequate supervision—of staff and of students—creates opportunities for abuse. This can include allowing unsupervised one-on-one contact, failing to monitor isolated areas, or ignoring policies designed to keep students safe.
Ignoring complaints and warning signs
Survivors and their families are often heartbroken to learn that others raised concerns that went unheeded. When a school dismisses complaints, fails to investigate, or looks the other way, it can be held responsible for the harm that follows.
Failure to report suspected abuse
Educators and school staff are, in most states, mandatory reporters—legally required to report suspected child abuse to the proper authorities. A failure to report can be both a violation of law and a basis for civil liability.
Allowing a known abuser to continue or transfer
One of the most damaging institutional failures is allowing a known or suspected abuser to remain in contact with children—or quietly moving them elsewhere, sometimes to another school, where they can harm again.
Failure to address peer-on-peer sexual assault
Schools also have obligations when one student sexually assaults or harasses another. Ignoring known risks, failing to act on reports, or responding with deliberate indifference can give rise to liability.
If your family experienced any of these failures, we can help you understand your rights. Call 1-800-529-6162 or request a confidential consultation.
Title IX, Mandatory Reporting, and a School's Special Duty
What makes school cases distinct is the web of legal duties that specifically protect students—duties that go beyond ordinary negligence law and that can strengthen a survivor's case.
Title IX. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, in educational programs that receive federal funding—which includes most public schools and colleges and many private institutions. Among other things, Title IX requires covered schools to respond appropriately to known sexual harassment and assault. A school that responds with deliberate indifference to known misconduct may face liability under Title IX, in addition to claims under state law.
Mandatory reporting. In nearly every state, teachers, administrators, coaches, and other school personnel are legally required to report suspected child abuse. These laws exist precisely because educators are often the adults best positioned to notice that something is wrong. When school staff fail to report—or actively suppress—suspected abuse, that failure can be central to a civil claim.
A heightened duty of care. Schools act, in a sense, in the place of parents while children are in their care—a concept courts sometimes describe as in loco parentis. This relationship creates a heightened responsibility to protect students from foreseeable harm. When a school had reason to know of a danger and failed to act, that special duty can be the foundation of a survivor's case.
Understanding how these overlapping duties apply to a specific situation requires experienced legal analysis—and it is exactly the kind of analysis we provide.
Who May Be Held Responsible?
Depending on the facts, responsibility for school sexual abuse may extend to:
- The school district or school system, for its policies, hiring, supervision, and response.
- Private, parochial, or charter schools, and the organizations that operate them.
- Colleges and universities, including for their handling of reports and their Title IX obligations.
- Administrators and supervisors, where their decisions or inaction contributed to the harm.
- The individual abuser.
- Third parties, such as contractors, transportation companies, or programs operating within the school.
A note about public schools: claims against public institutions often involve special procedural rules, including shorter deadlines and formal notice requirements that can arise quickly. This is one more reason it is important to consult an attorney promptly.
Sorting out who is responsible is our job, not yours. Call 1-800-529-6162 or contact us online for a free, confidential review.
The Lasting Impact on Students and Families
Abuse during childhood and adolescence can have profound and lasting effects. Survivors may experience anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, difficulty with trust and relationships, academic and developmental setbacks, and challenges that continue into adulthood. Families often carry their own grief, guilt, and anger. These effects are real, they are serious, and they deserve to be taken seriously—by the institutions responsible and by the legal system.
A civil claim can provide resources for the therapy and treatment a survivor needs, hold the school accountable, and help ensure that other children are protected. We approach every case with a full understanding of what is at stake.
Time Limits and Why You Should Not Assume It Is Too Late
Many survivors of school abuse come forward years—or decades—after the fact, often only as adults. The law increasingly recognizes this reality. While every state sets a statute of limitations, many states have expanded these deadlines for childhood sexual abuse, and some have opened temporary "revival" or "lookback" windows allowing older claims to be filed. The rules vary by state, can differ for public versus private schools, and continue to change.
Because these deadlines are complex and evolving—and because public-school claims can carry shorter notice requirements—the only way to know whether you still have a claim is to ask. Even if you have been told before that too much time had passed, the law may have changed.
Don't assume your time has run out. Let us check for you, confidentially and at no cost. Call 1-800-529-6162 or contact us.
How We Help, and What to Expect
When you come to us, your first conversation is free, confidential, and entirely without pressure. We listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your options in plain language. If we take your case, we handle the investigation—obtaining school records, personnel files, prior complaints, and other evidence of what the institution knew and when—and we deal with the school, its lawyers, and its insurers so that you don't have to. Throughout, you remain in control: your privacy is protected wherever possible, including through pseudonym filings where appropriate, and you set the pace.
Why Survivors and Families Trust Gilman & Bedigian
These cases are personal, and choosing the right advocate matters. Survivors and families choose Gilman & Bedigian because of how we treat them and what we are able to do.
We lead with compassion. We are a team of experienced trial attorneys, founded by Charles Gilman and Briggs Bedigian, and we treat every survivor and family with respect, patience, and care for their privacy. We also have the experience and resources to take on school districts, universities, and the institutions that stand behind them. We have recovered more than $800 million for injured victims and families, and we are known as trial attorneys willing to take powerful institutions to court. Our results include some of the largest medical malpractice and birth injury verdicts in Maryland and Pennsylvania history—among them a $182 million verdict and a $55 million verdict against Johns Hopkins Hospital—evidence of our ability to stand up to large, well-funded organizations and win. Our work has been recognized by the American Association for Justice, Super Lawyers, and an A-rating from the Better Business Bureau. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts.
With offices in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas, we handle serious cases nationwide in cooperation with local counsel. And because we work on a contingency-fee basis, there is no fee unless we win your case.
When you are ready, reach out. Call 1-800-529-6162 (answered 24/7) or request a free, confidential consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About School Sexual Abuse
Can I sue a school district for failing to protect my child?
Possibly. School districts can be held responsible when their negligence—such as failing to screen, supervise, or respond to warning signs—allowed abuse to occur. Public-school claims often involve special procedural rules and shorter deadlines, so it is important to consult an attorney promptly.
What is Title IX, and how does it relate to my case?
Title IX is a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault, in schools that receive federal funding. A school that responds with deliberate indifference to known misconduct may face liability under Title IX, in addition to claims under state law. Whether and how it applies depends on the facts.
What if school staff knew but did not report the abuse?
In most states, educators are mandatory reporters legally required to report suspected child abuse. A failure to report—or an effort to suppress a complaint—can be central to a civil claim and may strengthen a survivor's case.
Can I bring a claim if another student was the abuser?
Yes, potentially. Schools have obligations to address peer-on-peer sexual assault and harassment. If a school ignored known risks or responded with deliberate indifference, it may be held responsible.
My child's abuse happened years ago. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. Many states have expanded their deadlines for childhood sexual abuse or opened temporary windows for older claims. These laws vary and change frequently, so the only way to know is to ask—even if you were told before that it was too late.
Will my child's or my name be made public?
Not necessarily. In many cases, survivors can pursue a claim while protecting their identity, such as through a pseudonym filing, subject to court approval. Your consultation with us is always confidential.
How much does it cost to hire a school sexual abuse attorney?
Gilman & Bedigian handles these cases on a contingency-fee basis. There are no upfront costs, and you owe no attorney's fee unless we win your case. Your consultation is free and confidential.
What can a civil claim provide for my family?
Depending on the circumstances, a claim may provide compensation for therapy and counseling, medical costs, the educational and developmental impact on the survivor, and pain and suffering—and, in certain cases, punitive damages. It can also hold the school accountable and help protect other children.
Schools Should Be Safe. When They Fail, We Hold Them Accountable.
Sending a child to school should never put them in danger. When a school's failures allow a child to be harmed, families deserve answers, accountability, and the resources to help their child heal. You should not have to confront a school system on your own.
Gilman & Bedigian is here to help. We will listen with compassion, investigate what the institution knew, and pursue accountability on your family's behalf. There is no cost to begin, no obligation, and no pressure.
Speak With a Compassionate Attorney Today
- Free, fully confidential consultation
- Survivor- and family-centered, trauma-informed approach
- Experienced trial attorneys who take on school systems and universities
- No fee unless we win your case
When you are ready, contact Gilman & Bedigian. Call 1-800-529-6162 (answered 24/7) or request your free, confidential consultation.
Confidential support is also always available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), 24/7.
