NAMPA -- The parents of a Nampa girl who was sexually abused by a high school Spanish teacher have filed a million-dollar claim against Skyview High School and the Nampa School District.
Tomas Fisher, 28, was arrested in September after authorities discovered he had had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old that went on for more than a month.
Bruce Skaug, an attorney for the teen's family, said the school had an opportunity to stop the abuse before it began, but ignored concerning behavior from Fisher.
"As a parent, this makes me sick: Sick for what the school district did not do and sick for what this Tomas Fisher did to this girl," Skaug said. "She will never become the woman she could have been because of this, and that's sad."
Skaug said a school counselor expressed concerns to higher-ups that Fisher was was experiencing serious psychological issues, but the school took no action. The attorney said a dean of students at Skyview similarly failed to act when he found Fisher and the teen alone in a darkened room together.
"They didn't do anything when a supervisor walked into a locked room with the lights off and the blinds closed and finds a 16-year-old girl with a 28-year-old man. Did nothing," Skaug said.
According to court documents, Fisher told detectives he and the 16-year-old met up at his home, his mother's house, a movie theater and parking lots to have sex to ensure they would not be discovered. He said at one point he bought the girl Plan B to make sure she would not get pregnant.
Skaug said Fisher gained the teen's trust by showering her with compliments and attention, and was grooming other students at the same time. Fisher has not been charged with abusing any other victims.
He pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a child in December, and is set to be sentenced March 14.
The Nampa School District released a short statement saying officials are aware of the tort claim, and their response will be made through the legal process.