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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man is suing the North Kansas City School District on behalf of his minor daughter, who he says was raped by a 7th grade teacher at Northgate Middle School. The girl is now 14-years old.

The teacher is Samuel Waltemath, once considered the ‘fun science teacher’ by students at Northgate Middle School.

In Nov. 2016, Waltemath pleaded guilty to second-degree statutory sodomy, which is a class C felony, for a case stemming from May of 2015.  He was fired soon after and turned himself into police. He is serving seven years in prison.

The girl’s father accuses the district of hiring Waltemath, even though he says the district had prior knowledge of the teacher’s sexually inappropriate conduct at another district. In the lawsuit, the father also claims the NKC School District failed to properly investigate the teacher’s sexual assault of a 7th grader.

In the lawsuit, the father lists the following reasons for the lawsuit.

He claims:

  • Prior to April and May of 2015, NKCSD knew that Samuel Waltemath posed a danger of sexual harassment and assault to underage NKC female students.
  • NKCSD had a duty to adequately investigate Samuel Waltemath before hiring him, but failed to do so.
  • In the summer and or fall of 2013, reports were made that Waltemath had nude pictures of minor students on his laptop and phone, but the district and defendants failed to adequately investigate Waltemath.
  • NKCSD and other defendants had a duty to adequately supervise NKC teachers and students,
    including Samuel Waltemath and C.M., but failed to do so.
  • Defendants told neither the students nor their parents that Samuel Waltemath was suspended for inappropriate contact with underage females, or that he posed a danger to female
    students.
  • In May of 2015, Samuel Waltemath sexually assaulted the minor for whom the father is suing.
  • The father alleges the defendants violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Missouri Human Rights Act. He is also suing for negligence on the part of Deborah Delsemme, executive director of Human Resources at North Kansas City Schools, Daniel Clemens, NKC School District superintendent, Paul Fregeau, assistant superintendent, Steven St. Louis, former executive director of Pupil Services, and P.J McGinnis, principal at Northgate Middle School.

The North Kansas City School District released a statement Thursday afternoon saying:

“The safety of our students is of utmost importance and we take allegations of inappropriate conduct very seriously.  The Board of Education has adopted policies and procedures specifically prohibiting employees from engaging in the type of behavior alleged.  When the district is made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by an employee towards a student, we take prompt and appropriate action to protect the students we serve.  Unfortunately, North Kansas City Schools is unable to specifically comment on pending litigation.” (Susan Hiland Director of Media & Public Relations for NKC Schools.)