Senior Partner
Pierce County, WA – A lawsuit has been filed against Bethel School District No. 403 for its failures in monitoring a student with a known history of sexual misconduct, exposing innocent students to the risk of sexual assault on school premises.
The complaint alleges that the court had previously placed the assailant on a Special Sex Offender Disposition Alternative (SSODA) following a sex offense involving a minor. The assailant was attending school under a SSODA plea, which required strict monitoring and restrictions to prevent harm to other students. Despite these required safeguards, the district failed to enforce the mandated protections, failed to monitor the assailant and allowed him to remain on school grounds without proper supervision.
According to the lawsuit, because the assailant was allowed to roam relatively freely throughout the school, he was able to plan and carry out the sexual assault of K.W., a tenth grader, inside a school bathroom.
A Pattern of Neglect: Bethel School District’s History of Failing Students
This is not the first time Bethel School District has been sued for failing to protect students from known sex offenders. In 2016, the Washington Court of Appeals ruled in N.L. v. Bethel School District that the District had a legal duty to protect students from foreseeable harm posed by students with a history of sexual misconduct.
“The district had every chance to prevent this assault—but instead, it chose to repeat the same types of failures that that have robbed children of their physical and psychological safety, and their trust in our systems,” said Gemma Zanowski, attorney for K.W. “Until the district takes real, lasting action, every child who walks through its doors remains vulnerable to the same harm.”
Statement from K.W.’s Family:
“This lawsuit is deeply personal for our family. What happened to our child at school has devastated us in ways we never imagined. We are carrying the weight of grief, anger, and uncertainty as we try to protect and support our child through something no family should ever have to face.
By moving forward with this case, we hope to find justice—not only for our child, but to prevent this from ever happening to another student. We want to hold those responsible accountable so that schools take stronger measures to protect the children entrusted to them. Our greatest hope is that by speaking up, changes will be made. We want our voices to matter, for the truth to be recognized, and for our child’s suffering not to be in vain.“
K.W. and her family are calling for:
- A full independent investigation into Bethel School District’s repeated failures to protect students from known sex offenders.
- Immediate policy reforms to prevent future assaults.
- Mandatory enforcement of SSODA restrictions for all sex offenders in public schools.
- Disciplinary action against all District staff that failed to enforce restrictions and safety measures in place to protect students.
Stritmatter Law is based in Seattle and Hoquiam, WA, and is nationally recognized for representing victims of wrongful death, serious personal injuries, and civil rights lawsuits. The legal team for this case includes Gemma Zanowski and Lisa Benedetti. Paralegal: Katie Green.