School District in California to Pay $14.7M in Teacher Sex Abuse Case

The Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to pay $14.7 million to seven former students at an elementary school who claim their teacher sexually abused them several years ago.

Rene Tenas, who taught fourth grade at Hart Street Elementary, was accused of sexually molesting the girls on campus between August 2016 and January 2017, according to the criminal complaint.

Tenas pleaded no contest to two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child and was sentenced in November 2018 to five years in prison as part of a plea deal. He was released on parole this past October, the Southern California News Group reported.

Plaintiffs attorney Luis Carrillo told the news group that his clients are now in their teens and continue to experience trauma. He’s hoping the settlement will allow them to move forward.

LA Unified said in a statement the district is “saddened by the pain” the students experienced and is “hopeful that this resolution provides some relief in the healing process.”