Barstow Christian admin: School bears some responsibility in child sex case

[Heddi]

http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/20170311/barstow-christian-admin-school-bears-some-responsibility-in-child-sex-case

BARSTOW — Barstow Christian School administrators' recent admission that previous school policy on reporting child abuse was unlawful came just weeks before the release of former school secretary and convicted child molester Kristen Blanton, according to victim lawyers.

While Blanton was set to be released Sunday, a motion filed last month alleges that BCS Principal Heather Bradford knew of Blanton's inappropriate contact with the 14-year-old male student victim as early as three months before her arrest and failed to report it.

The victim's attorneys filed the motion in San Bernardino Superior Court to add punitive damages to their lawsuit against the school and Blanton, two years after she was arrested for allegedly molesting the victim multiple times beginning in October 2014.

...
When Bradford was asked during deposition if she had received "any training that indicates how to prevent, identify, stop" childhood sexual abuse prior to 2015, she answered "No." Monroe confirmed in his testimony that he never provided Bradford with this training.

Bradford also testified that while she first became aware of the concerns around Blanton's inappropriate relationship with a student "when she was arrested," she admitted that looking back, she could see reason to believe Blanton had been "grooming" the victim for sexual abuse.