Student sues Wash. districts for enabling child pornographer

PROSSER, Wash. (AP) – A student has sued two school districts in south-central Washington, alleging officials knew a former educator engaged in grooming behavior with students yet allowed him to keep working.

The Tri-City Herald says the lawsuit names the Prosser and Granger school districts, where Stephen Castilleja worked.

Castilleja was sentenced last fall to 27 years for taking pornographic photos and video of children.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a former student who ended up in explicit video filmed in a classroom. It seeks unspecified damages.

The suit says Prosser school officials were aware of boundary issues on Castilleja’s part while he worked for the district from 2009-14. It says the district paved the way for him to teach in nearby Granger, where his grooming behavior continued.

Attorneys for the Prosser and Granger districts couldn’t be reached Friday.

___

Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com