Parent Files Claim With School District

The parent of a fourth-grade student filed a formal claim against the Simi Valley Unified School District on Tuesday, alleging that the district mishandled her daughter’s claims that she was sexually harassed by a classmate.

District officials, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, have said they followed proper procedures in the case and that the classmate was appropriately disciplined for his offense. Simi Unified has 45 days to formally respond.

The complaints, which were delivered to Supt. Mary Beth Wolford on Tuesday morning, are the precursors to a lawsuit or suits, said Hillarie Levy, the mother of the fourth-grader.

“This is just part of what we have to do before we file in court,” she said.

Levy alleges that a classmate continually picked on her 9-year-old daughter and called her names and that the boy was not properly disciplined by the district.

On one occasion, the boy held up a pickle and taunted, “Hey, this is your new boyfriend.”

The girl said she felt humiliated and embarrassed.

District and Atherwood School officials who investigated the December incident found that the 9-year-old boy did not understand any possible sexual connotations of the remark.

The pickle incident and other incidents of shoving or name-calling did not constitute sexual harassment, the district found during hearings.

However, district and school officials said the boy’s behavior was indeed improper and that he was disciplined.

Levy appealed findings that the boy did not understand what he had said and claimed that he should have been suspended.

She also now requests that the boy be forced to apologize and that the district hire an outside party to hear claims of harassment or intimidation.