California School District to Pay $2.25 Million to Second Victim of Former English Teacher’s Abuse
A Southern California school district that has faced financial repercussions from lawsuits related to allegations of sexual abuse by former teachers will pay $2.25 million to a second victim of Laura Whitehurst, a former English teacher who became pregnant by one of her students.
This latest settlement raises the total amount paid out to Whitehurst’s victims by the Redlands Unified School District to $8.25 million since her arrest in 2013, as reported by the Southern California News Group.
Over the years, at least 50 students have accused more than 25 teachers of sexual misconduct within the school district, according to CBS News. In April, the California Department of Justice launched an investigation into the numerous reported sexual assaults at the school.
One significant settlement involving Whitehurst and the teenager who fathered her child reached $6 million, making it the largest single-victim settlement against a school district in a sexual abuse case in California’s history, according to the law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, which represented two of Whitehurst’s victims.
Prior to her arrest in July 2013, concerns about Whitehurst’s relationship with the student had circulated among staff members at Citrus Valley High School, where she taught. Despite California’s mandatory reporting laws, no staff members were charged with a crime by the county’s district attorney, Michael Ramos.
Ramos stated in a press release that, before July 1, 2013, only unsubstantiated rumors and speculation existed, and no factual information about a sexual relationship had been reported to any teacher or school official. However, local reports indicate that Whitehurst and the student were questioned about their relationship by administrators in May 2013.
Whitehurst was arrested only after the boy’s mother called the police, a month after she gave birth to her son’s child. Following a police investigation, Whitehurst faced 41 felony charges for the sexual abuse of three students. After reaching a plea deal, she was convicted on six of those charges and received a maximum sentence of 365 days in county jail and five years of felony probation. She is no longer incarcerated but must register as a sex offender for life.
The recent $2.25 million restitution results from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by another boy who alleged that Whitehurst assaulted him during the same time frame. Morgan Stewart, the victim’s attorney, claimed that Whitehurst initiated the encounters in her classroom and at her home, luring the teen into discussions about sex. Stewart criticized the school district for prolonging the legal process, stating that it would be more honorable to resolve such cases without causing additional harm to the victims.
Allegations of failing to report sex crimes against students within the school district have emerged. Former Redlands math teacher Kevin Patrick Kirkland pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four female students between 2014 and 2016, including one with special needs.
In response to inquiries, Redlands Unified School District Communications Manager Christine Stephens stated that the district could not comment on specific details due to confidentiality agreements accompanying the latest settlement. She noted that the school has implemented various protocols since the incidents of sexual abuse.
Among these measures is the ACT (Actions Create Trust) Now Initiative, introduced in 2018. This policy includes school resource officers at each district facility, mandated reporter handbooks for all employees, and additional school counselors focusing on students’ socio-emotional well-being. The policy also outlines guidelines prohibiting teachers from intruding on students’ physical and emotional boundaries, addressing students with pet names, singling out students for personal attention or friendship, transporting students in personal vehicles in non-emergency situations, and having personal contact with students via cellphone.