District 300, principal sued over former teacher's sex abuse case
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 and a Carpentersville elementary school principal are being sued by parents of a boy who say their son was sexually abused by a former substitute kindergarten teacher in early 2017.
Overall, eight children have accused Carlos A. Bedoya of sexual abuse dating to 2016. Bedoya also is named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed this week in Kane County.
Bedoya, 62, of Lake in the Hills, was arrested in July 2017 on charges he abused two 6-year-old male students; since then, six more have come forward with similar allegations and he faces 40 total counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and solicitation of a minor, court records show.
The lawsuit, filed by the parents of a boy identified only as John Doe, seeks unspecified damages from the district, Golfview Principal Lindsay Sharp and Bedoya himself.
The lawsuit argues Bedoya committed acts of abuse in March and April 2017 at the school and that the district and Sharp knew or should have known that Bedoya was “unfit to be a teacher” and about his “sexually deviant behavior.”
Bedoya put the boy on his lap against his wishes and engaged in “unwanted and deviant physical contact” with the boy at school and during school hours, the suit alleges. Bedoya also followed the boy to the washroom to watch him disrobe and urinate, the lawsuit states.
David Petrich, attorney for the boy and his family, said his firm represents two victims in the case; as of Thursday, only one lawsuit had been available for viewing at the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.
“The complaint speaks for itself,” Petrick said. “I'm hopeful that school district recognizes the problem and doesn't put the victim through a protracted litigation.”
District spokesman Anthony McGinn did not return a phone message but previously issued a statement that the “district takes the health, safety and welfare of our students seriously” and employees face strict background checks, fingerprinting and other safety measures.
Bedoya is due in court on the sex charges on July 2. If convicted, he faces life in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
He is being held on $3.85 million bail, meaning he must post $385,000 to be released while the cases are pending.
Doe's lawsuit is next due in court on Aug. 28.