Girl, 6, Sexually Assaulted 20+ Times In NJ School Bathroom: Lawsuit

VERONA, NJ — A mother has filed a lawsuit against Verona Public Schools, claiming the district and school officials did nothing when her daughter was sexually assaulted multiple times while in first and second grade.

According to the lawsuit filed April 22 in Superior Court of Essex County, the alleged assaults happened between October 2021 and January 2023 in a bathroom at F.N. Brown Elementary School.

Court documents said a male classmate would follow the girl into the bathroom and crawl under her stall to sexually molest her.

The girl was 6 and 7 years old at the time of the assaults, according to court documents.

The lawsuit names several school officials as defendants, including Superintendent Diane DiGiuseppe and F.N. Brown Principal Anthony Lanzo, and accuses them of negligence, recklessness, and carelessness.

"School administrators are responsible not only to ensure the academic success of their students but also to ensure they are safe and secure in their learning environment," attorneys said in the lawsuit. "In this case, however, (school officials) completely and utterly abdicated these responsibilities."

According to the lawsuit, the girl told her teacher about the assaults and that the male student touched her "down there." The lawsuit claims her teacher did not report the alleged assault to authorities, but instead continued to seat the girl next to the male student.

The lawsuit claims the girl experienced multiple "disassociative episodes." At home, the lawsuit states the girl began staring off into the distance, refusing hugs and having emotional outbursts. According to court documents, her mother took her to a psychologist, who determined the girl was showing "clear signs of sexual trauma."

The girl's family eventually removed her from F.N. Brown Elementary School out of fear for her safety.

The lawsuit also accuses the district and several officials of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, failure to accommodate the girl's needs and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In an email sent to families on Monday and forwarded to Patch, DiGiuseppe said the district could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit because it involves "confidential student information under the law and active litigation."

"However, I want to assure you that at all relevant times, the district has had policies and procedures in place to address allegations of criminal activity, including child abuse and criminal sexual contact," DiGiuseppe said. "These protocols are consistently followed to ensure the safety and well-being of our students."

The girl's family is requesting a jury trial and unspecified financial damages.