CALIFORNIA
Contra Costa Times
By Sandy Mazza, Staff Writer
dailybreeze.com
Posted: 02/06/2013
A Harbor City family filed a lawsuit this week against pastors, teachers and directors of the First Lutheran Church Child Development Center in Carson for allegedly allowing widespread sexual conduct between preschool students over several months.
Five more families are expected to file similar lawsuits in the near future, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating whether school officials neglected the children and covered up instances of sexual abuse.
The suit was filed Tuesday, the same day the sheriff’s Special Victims Unit began its investigation into allegations that the school turned a blind eye to students performing oral sex on other students. The lawsuit alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, sexual battery and assault, among other things.
The school, at 19707 S. Central Ave., will shut its doors on Friday, amid the allegations and a barrage of state licensing citations for offenses over the past six months. School officials downplayed the sex abuse concerns and denied that the closure was due to the citations and criminal accusations.
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