An Iowa teacher faces charges and has been named in four lawsuits after allegedly failing to report child abuse by a volunteer in her classroom.
A complaint claims two students told 59-year-old teacher Diane Graham they were sexually abused by a classroom volunteer last year, but Graham took no action.
The Starry Elementary School teacher is classified as a mandatory reporter, meaning she is required to report child abuse if the victim is under the age of 12, according to The Gazette.
Graham’s class volunteer, 15-year-old Logan McMurrin, was found by a judge to have sexually abused three students since becoming a ‘Class Helper’ last fall.
Four separate lawsuits have been filed by parents of Starry Elementary students against Graham and the Marion Independent School District in response to the abuse.
The lawsuits claim Graham and the district allowed McMurrin to have daily, one-on-one interactions with students, where he repeatedly abused and molested them. The sexual acts took place on school grounds and in the classroom.
After students reported the abuse to Graham, no investigations took place and McMurrin remained in the classroom. Graham is currently on paid administrative leave.
The Marion Independent School District has not commented on the incident, but in a March statement officials said they made policy changes related to the volunteer review process in December, although they are not required to run background checks on volunteers.
