2 former students sue Norwalk La Mirada school district over sexual abuse by middle school teacher
NORWALK, Calif. (KABC) -- Two former students who said they were sexually abused by a teacher spoke out on Wednesday, announcing they have filed a lawsuit against the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District.
The lawsuit comes after Scott Waln was arrested in 2022 and later convicted of sexually abusing two 11-year-old students. Waln was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for abusing sixth graders at Los Alisos Middle School in Norwalk.
In the newly filed lawsuit, the victims' families accuse the school district of allowing Waln to continue teaching at the time while knowing he was a danger to students.
"It made me feel like nobody cared, like I wasn't heard, I wasn't seen," one of the former students, who declined to be publicly identified, said at a news conference. "They still had him in the school when I was there after the incident, so I had to constantly pass by him, constantly had to remember stuff, constantly had to be afraid."
One of the victims and the victims' two mothers described to reporters how much emotional distress they've endured since the abuse occurred.
"As this matter is currently in litigation, the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District is unable to respond to specific inquiries about these allegations," a statement provided to ABC7 said. "The District also respects the desired anonymity of the plaintiff in this case.
"We do wish to confirm our unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our students," the statement said. "That commitment never has, and never will, change. We have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse or misconduct of any kind, and we are wholly dedicated to creating and maintaining a community of students and educators free from abuse and harassment."
