Former Ocoee High student sues district

A former Ocoee High female student who was sexually assaulted at the school by two former teachers filed a lawsuit April 11 accusing Orange County Public Schools of negligence, according to Orange County court records.

The former student was 17 when the assaults occurred and is suing the county’s school district for more than $15,000 in damages. The lawsuit names OCPS and the School Board of Orange County as the defendants.

“We do not comment on pending litigation,” OCPS spokeswoman Lorena Arias said.

In April 2017, Ocoee police arrested Chad Coy, who was 27 at the time, and Ryan Kirkpatrick, who was 26, for the assaults. They each have since been convicted of committing sex acts on a child. Coy was sentenced to two years in prison, and Kirkpatrick was sentenced to 18 months. Both are scheduled to be released this year. Kirkpatrick’s release date is set for May 22, and Coy is scheduled to be released in October, Orange County court documents show.

Both men will face probation when released and now are registered sex offenders.

According to a police report, the assaults occurred in September and October 2016 at the school and during school hours. Kirkpatrick was the victim’s math teacher, and Coy was the victim’s second-period teacher and lacrosse-team coach. 

The victim told police she performed oral sex on both men in their classrooms. She also described kissing, instances of molestation and exchanging sexually explicit text messages, according to the report.

Additionally, Coy texted the victim telling her he “missed her, wanted to see her and wanted to hang out.” At one point, the victim said Coy told her that “he loved her, wished he could wake up to her in the morning and wanted to meet up with her outside of school,” the police report stated.

The victim said Coy used to keep her after class to discuss her school work. Her friends used to stay behind with her, but Coy began telling her friends they needed to leave. Once they were alone, Coy would kiss her. The victim admitted she flirted with Coy; however, she also stated she was scared of him, because he was bigger and stronger than her, according to the police report.

The victim also told police she used to visit Kirkpatrick’s classroom during his planning period and also would eat lunch there. That’s when the abuse occurred. She told police the two of them would move to a long table that was against a wall in his classroom so no one could see them, according to the report.

The lawsuit alleges OCPS breached its duty to the former student by failing to monitor and supervise her during school hours; allowing her to remain in the classroom alone with the two men; failing to ensure her safety during school hours while on campus; and failing to implement policies and procedures to prevent the abuse; among other claims.