HOLT, Mich. — A 10-year-old boy molested by his teacher claims the school district ignored warnings about that teacher for years.
Now, the boy is suing Holt Public Schools over Patrick Daley's crimes in federal court.
The lawsuit claims administrators at Washington Woods Middle School knew about Patrick Daley's sexual abuse as early as 2015.
Documents say that's when the principal at the school told Daley he couldn't change in the boys' locker room because he was concerned about sexual misconduct complaints.
Court records claim after that incident, the principal witnessed Daley's hand on a boy's backside and but Daley moved it after he saw the principal.
The complaint states in January 2018, several staff members told administrators about Daley's misconduct, which included holding a boy's hand, witnessing "odd" physical closeness and going to the movies with young male students.
The lawsuit claims Holt Public Schools' HR director had a "coaching conversation" with Daley about working too closely with students, but the abuse was never reported to police.
Daley was convicted last October of sexually abusing eight boys over at least a three year period, including the 10-year-old boy whose family filed the lawsuit.
Daley is now serving a seven to 15-year prison sentence.
The lawsuit claims Holt Public Schools violated federal Title IX regulations and the 10-year-old boy's 14th Amendment rights.
Court documents say the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals notified all districts in Michigan students have the right to be free from sexual abuse by school employees.
"Given the pending litigation and the privacy interests of our students, we cannot comment at this time. With that, we will continue to focus on providing a high-quality education to our students during this unprecedented time by following our continuity of learning plan for remote learning," said Superintendent David Hornak.
The lawsuit asks for the district to pay the boy's medical bills, including any counseling needed in the future.
The plaintiff's claim staff members reported Daley's conduct to administrators around the same time the district announced Larry Nassar abused three girls on school property.
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