WOMAN ALLEGES SEXUAL ASSAULT BY TEACHERSNearly four years ago, Carol Lynne Maner, 44, filed a lawsuit against the Fayette County Board of Education claiming it ignored and concealed a pattern of alleged sexual abuse of her by four teachers, an assistant principal and a guidance counselor in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The allegations immediately created a shock wave and produced vehement denials by the alleged abusers and the Fayette schools superintendent in August 2003, Ken James. He said her suit "has no basis, no merit."
Since then, another former student, Thomas "Beau" Goodman III, 42, joined the suit with claims he was sexually exploited by a teacher. Maner is considering a book deal and has aggressively made her case in the local media and Court TV radio, a satellite radio station...
...To succeed, Maner and Goodman must prove more than just that the alleged abuse occurred. They face a tougher burden of proving that the school board effectively had a policy or custom of inaction when it came to sexual abuse.
The trial is likely to hinge on two central issues: who knew what and when; and whether officials with policy-making authority for the board concealed sexual abuse allegations. If they can't prove concealment, Maner's and Goodman's claims will be barred by the statute of limitations...
...The employees accused of wrongdoing or inaction are no longer employed by the school district.
Maner and Goodman are suing on two grounds. The first is that the alleged acts violated their civil rights. The second claim is that the alleged abuse effectively denied Maner her right to an education. Specifically, she says it violated the federal Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibit discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funding...
...Police have never filed criminal charges in the case, even though Maner says she filed a report with police at the time she filed suit. Many of the sexual encounters occurred after Maner turned 16, the age of consent in Kentucky...
...Maner's lawsuit alleges seven years of sex abuse resulting in a lifetime of emotional and psychological trauma and years of drug abuse.
Maner claims that the abuse began in 1976 at age 14 when she was allegedly abused and introduced to marijuana by two Beaumont Junior High teachers. She says that when she went to a guidance counselor for help, he molested her as well.
Maner's mother reported her suspicion that a teacher was having a sexual relationship with her daughter to the superintendent at the time, Guy S. Potts. The matter was referred to a principal who did nothing to stop the abuse, the lawsuit alleges...
...The alleged abuse continued when Maner entered Lafayette High School in 1979. She claims that she was sexually abused numerous times by drama teacher Robert Gardner -- who later became a high school principal and is now retired -- and an athletics coach. She said an assistant principal also attempted to abuse her.
In previous interviews, Gardner has denied the allegations and questioned Maner's motives...
This from the Herald-Leader.
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Before it imploded in November 2004, (amid a contentious fraud lawsuit against the publisher and copious mudslinging in the press) Lexington had a spicy tabloid newspaper called Lexington Snitch that ran an admittedly one-sided, slash and burn story on the allegations.
6 comments:
I can't read the November 04 Snitch. Do you have a link somewhere?
I was a student at Beaumont during this time period and only heard rumors. I wasn't molested (guess I was too ugly), but faculty stood by and did nothing while I was teased and emotionally abused by other students. I lost much of my vision in one eye after being shot by a paperwad in algebra class by another student.
I hope she wins.
These .jpegs are all I have and the publication is out of business. If these pages are available elsewhere, I'm not aware of it and my search didn't produce them.
I only have these because the issue (how the press covers such education stories) came up in class @ UK.
But .jpegs are pretty flexible. You might try downloading them, and viewing them in a standard graphics reader - like the one in Windows, Corel, PhotoShop...others.
That will allow you to zoom in, if you want to read the text.
But let me remind you. The Snitch story is taken only from the allegations - Maner's side of the story - and should not be considered a complete picture.
I'm so glad Carol Lynne Maner won. I went to Beaumont during this time and remember rumors about one student "dating" a teacher. I'm not sure if it was Hubbard or not, though, and I know the girl was not Carol Lynne Maner. I hope if others were abused that they will come forward, too. I am now a teacher in California and would never, never let any "rumor" like this go without making sure there was a thorough investigation. Kids trust their teachers and rely on the adults in school to protect them. I commend Ms. Maner for fighting so long after this happened and for sticking to her fight. I'm so glad the jury had the sense to see the truth in this and to award her amply.
I just looked in my old yearbooks and it was Mr. Hubbard who was rumored to be "dating" a student. I remember that she was somewhat of a loner and seemed older than she really was. It was sad to look back at those pictures and think about what was going on with those teachers.
You're wrong Frances, it was Mr. Smith.
Bubbles
You are mistaken Frances...it was Mr. Smith. I know!
Bubbles
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