The Board of Education at Avon High School recently agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed against it almost four years ago that “claimed three teachers and a guidance counselor at the school had indoctrinated two former students into a religious cult.” The lawsuit itself was filed by a family whose children attended the school. According to the family’s lawsuit, “three teachers and a guidance counselor exerted an improper influence on their three daughters and alienated two of them from the rest of the family.”
The Board of Education at Avon High School recently agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed against it almost four years ago that “claimed three teachers and a guidance counselor at the school had indoctrinated two former students into a religious cult.” The lawsuit itself was filed by a family whose children attended the school. According to the family’s lawsuit, “three teachers and a guidance counselor exerted an improper influence on their three daughters and alienated two of them from the rest of the family.”
When discussing the school board’s decision to settle, a lawyer for the school, Johanna Zelman, said it was “purely a business decision.” She added, “The defendants, in this case, continue to deny all liability in this case.” When the lawsuit was first filed she “dismissed it as frivolous and the claims in it as patently false.” No further comment on the settlement agreement was given, though Board Chairwoman Debra Chute said the school board “will likely vote on the settlement when it meets on March 20.” The settlement terms were agreed to back on March 1 during a “conference with lawyers and the judge handling the case.”
But what kind of religious indoctrination did the lawsuit allege? For starters, according to the lawsuit the three teachers, who all taught Spanish, “behaved improperly in class and also socialized with the three daughters outside of school.” The family alleged their two oldest daughters “were indoctrinated into a religious cult that promotes martyrdom and celebrates death.” As a result, the oldest sister allegedly began to “experience fantasies of suicidal ideation and martyrdom.” According to the family, their youngest daughter was also “targeted for indoctrination by the educators, but she eventually broke free.”
In the lawsuit the girl’s parents described the sudden change in behavior in all three of their daughters, saying “all three girls experienced sudden and severe personality changes.” The lawsuit added:
“They became flat and distant, reclusive, secretive, and non-communicative. They lost their humor and their empathy. They began speaking in a bizarre new language. They became unable to think critically or independently.”
To make matters worse, the lawsuit accused the teachers of “making the two older sisters believe their parents had abused them by planting false memories in their minds,” and one teacher even allegedly “taught her students to believe in superstition, magic, and a non-scientific, anti-intellectual worldview.”
The family’s names were withheld from the lawsuit, and despite the settlement announcement, their lawyers have yet to respond to requests for comment. Additionally, the names of the teachers and guidance counselor accused of indoctrination in the lawsuit have also not been released.
Sources:
Avon School Board Settles Religious Indoctrination Lawsuit
Settlement reached in lawsuit over Connecticut educators, alleged cult
Join the conversation!