A former Walnut Creek charter school employee is embroiled in a lawsuit brought forth by an accuser alleging sexual assault and negligence by school officials. According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, Gerard Michael Flaherty, who was a climate and culture supervisor at the Contra Costa School of Performing Arts, is accused of raping and impregnating a 17-year-old student.
The lawsuit claims that despite earlier complaints from parents and staff about Flaherty's inappropriate behavior, school administrators failed to investigate or intervene before the alleged assault. The school, which was owned by ChartHouse Public Schools and has since been shuttered, is also named in the suit. The police had arrested Flaherty back in April, and he is facing charges including forcible rape of a child over 14, with the criminal case still pending.
"This case highlights systemic failures in ensuring student safety and accountability," the survivor's attorney, Lauren Cerri, told the San Francisco Chronicle. The lawsuit filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court suggests that the alleged perpetrator groomed the student by giving her rides, spending time alone with her, and communicating with her over social media.
Fostering a trusting environment, the school should have been a haven for its students, but the suit suggests that Executive Director Catherine Foster dismissed the claims against Flaherty as merely rumors. Furthermore, according to SFGate, a wiretapped phone call revealed Flaherty begging the student to have an abortion, suggesting how the pregnancy could 'ruin' his and his children's lives.
