Sexual Assault Victim's Parents Allege The Teacher Failed To Report the Abuse

The parents of a sexual assault victim filed a notice of claim against the Racine Unified School District and her teacher.

The claim alleges that Judith Stiyer, who was employed by the Racine Unified School District when the assaults occurred, failed to report the sexual assault twice, once in December and once in January at Olympia Brown Elementary.

A notice of claim is required to be filed before a lawsuit is started. If the School Board denies the claim, then the girl’s parents could proceed with a lawsuit. But the notice of claim is not a lawsuit on its own.

“Because this is going to potentially be a claim, no damage amount has been set,”  said Tim Knurr, the attorney reprsenting the girl's parents.

In January, the Racine County District Attorney’s Office charged Lewis Givens, 35, with two counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 and two counts of sexual assault of child by person who works or volunteers with children. Givens served as an educational assistant at Olympia Brown Elementary, 5915 Erie St., for students with cognitive disabilities. He allegedly sexually assaulted a nine-year-old student, who he was not assigned to care for, said officials with the Caledonia Police Department at the time of the initial criminal complaint.

According to the notice of claim, Stiyer told an educational assistant, who allegedly witnessed Givens sexually assault the child in December, to “keep them apart.” After a second sexual assault incident in January, a substitute assistant told Stiyer what had transpired, and Stiyer told the substitute teacher “they should just watch him.”

Teachers are required by law to intervene and report incidents of sexual abuse as soon as they become aware of them.

Stiyer didn’t report either incidents, and she didn’t try to stop the sexual assault, Knurr said.

 “She (Stiyer) violated her ministerial duty by ignoring what happened…. and she allowed Lewis Givens to continue to prey on little girls,” Knurr said.

Later in January, the substitute assistant again witnessed Givens sexually assault the girl, but the substitute assistant reported it to someone else and the Caledonia Police were contacted.

No criminal charges have been filed against Stiyer. Bob Repishak, assistant district attorney for the Racine County District Attorney's Offie, said he couldn't comment on the issue because the Givens case is still being prosecuted.

Stacy Tapp, director of communications for the Racine Unified School District, said she was not aware of the notice of claim, but she has a call into the employee relations department.

“At this point, I just can’t comment right now,” she said.