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The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is now facing accusations from a second former student who alleges that she was sexually assaulted by a high school theater teacher after he remained employed by the district following abuse complaints from another student who graduated a year prior.
The law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard announced last week that they had amended a complaint against the district and former teacher Ryan Weible to include allegations from a second anonymous plaintiff who says that she suffered grooming and sexual assault by Weible after the district failed to act on allegations from “Jane Doe 1”, who graduated a year before the newly announced alleged victim.
According to the initial complaint filed Feb. 20, “Jane Doe 1”, a former San Ramon Valley High School student, alleges she was groomed by Weible for much of her time in high school and ultimately sexually assaulted by him multiple times – including on school premises and a district-sponsored trip across the country – during her senior year from 2010 to 2011.
After “Jane Doe 1” graduated in 2011, and amid complaints brought forth by adults on her behalf according to attorneys, Weible reportedly continued to work as a theater arts teacher at San Ramon Valley High School and allegedly turned his attention toward the second plaintiff, “Jane Doe 2”, during her senior year from 2011 to 2012.
“He told her that he was in love with her and wanted to marry her and have her bypass college so that she could be with him,” attorneys for the plaintiffs said in a press release March 21. “He also showered her with numerous gifts including jewelry. This grooming led to Weible touching Jane Doe 2 in a sexual manner without her consent.”
Weible allegedly proceeded to confess to “Jane Doe 2” that he had previously been sexually involved with “Jane Doe 1” and that he “knew police were coming for him,” according to the plantiffs’ attorneys.Â
An SRVUSD spokesperson said that it was district policy not to comment on active litigation, other than to emphasize that the district take’s allegations of this nature “very seriously.” She noted that Weible left the district in 2012.
Attempts to contact Weible and his most recent school of employment in the Bay Area have not been successful.
The lawsuit also alleges Weible drove alongside “Jane Doe 2” while she walked home from school, saying it was to ensure her safety, and said he would convert to Mormonism in order to be with her, as well as buying her gifts and touching her inappropriately on school grounds.
Prior to and during the time of accusations by both plaintiffs, their attorneys allege Weible was known for inappropriate behavior toward minor female students in his classes, including hugs, massages, having them sit on his lap and directing sexual comments toward them, as well as singling students out for “special attention.”
Despite this, and despite complaints from adults about Weible’s behavior toward “Jane Doe 1” ahead of her graduation, the district failed to take action until police arrived on campus amid reports against Weible near the end of “Jane Doe 2’s” senior year, launching an investigation into the allegations in 2012, according to the attorneys.
In addition to the damage that was already allegedly done to the two plaintiffs in their senior years prior to the teacher’s departure from the position, their attorneys argue that SRVUSD failed to report Weible to appropriate state authorities, enabling him to keep his teaching credential and continue working at schools.
“In a review of records obtained under the California Public Records Act, the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard found no evidence that the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), as required by law, was notified by the District,” attorneys said in their press release. “The failure to notify CTC of suspected sexual misconduct resulted in Weible maintaining his teaching credential and obtaining a job as Assistant Head of School at a prestigious Bay Area K-12 private school.”
At the time of the initial complaint filed last month, Weible was working as assistant head of school at the private Bentley School, which consists of a kindergarten through eighth grade campus in Oakland and a high school campus in Lafayette.Â
Weible and Bentley Head of School Christie Moncharmont did not respond to a request for comment on the initial complaint filed last month. Since then, Weible’s email address with the school has been deactivated and he is no longer listed among administrators on the school’s website.
In addition to sexual assault allegations against Weible, the case includes allegations that the district was negligent in its hiring, supervision, and retention of Weible during the time of the allegations from both plaintiffs, as well as alleging that the district was negligent in its supervision of both plaintiffs during their time as students.
No trial date is set so far for the civil case filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court. A case management conference is scheduled for July 11 at 8:30 a.m.
