Lawsuit against Burbank school district alleges teacher molested 2 students at John Burroughs High

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- A lawsuit filed against the Burbank Unified School District and a teacher at John Burroughs High School alleges that the teacher molested two students 18 years apart from one another.

The suit alleges the school district knew the teacher "sexually abused, assaulted, battered, and molested" students for years, but did not take action. That allowed the teacher to "groom and molest students in his classroom, his home, and elsewhere in the community," the lawsuit said.

The first alleged victim was a student at the high school between 2000 and 2004. The lawsuit states the teacher molested the student on two occasions. The second alleged victim was repeatedly molested from September 2019 to March 2020, the lawsuit said.

A statement from the Burbank Unified School District says it cannot comment, except to note that no new allegations or complaints against the teacher have been substantiated since the lawsuit was filed. The statement added the school district takes all measures necessary to ensure the safety of students.