Lawsuit filed by family of student who was raped by her teacher
FULTON COUNTY, Ga - The family of a middle school student who was raped by her teacher has filed a lawsuit. An attorney for the family says the teacher never should have been in the classroom.
"We think the evidence is crystal clear that he never should have been hired," said attorney Frank Bayuk.
Robert Vandel was a science teacher at Fulton Academy of Science and Technology, a charter school known as FAST.
He is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for raping a seventh-grade girl in his classroom during recess.
The girl's family filed a lawsuit saying the school did not do a thorough background check before hiring Vandel.
The lawsuit states that in Vandel's file with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, "at least seven students and 14 teachers presented written complaints against Vandel for grooming, sexual harassment and sexual assault" at previous schools where Vandel worked over a span of 20 years.
State records also show the commission previously suspended his teaching license before he was hired at FAST.
"Had FAST done an adequate background check, or paid attention to a background check, they could have discovered it," said Bayuk.
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After being hired by FAST, according to the lawsuit, at least six complaints were filed against Vandel there.
"He was a sexual predator, with a long documented history, who was using the school as his grooming ground and ultimately committed a heinous crime with a little girl," said Bayuk.
The family wants to see a change in how teachers are hired and retained, and they want to see more thorough background checks.
"A big part of what the family is hoping to achieve with the lawsuit is to change how these things are done so what happened to their little girl and the nightmare they're experiencing doesn't happen again in Fulton County," said Bayuk.
The lawsuit names FAST, the Fulton County School District and a number of school leaders.
The district sent a statement to FOX 5 reading:
"FAST creates and implements its own personnel policies and hires, vets and manages its staff independently."