GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Five students’ families will sue Grand Rapids Public Schools over the response of University Prep Academy to the Jamila Williams sexual assault allegations.
Gloria Allred, one of the attorneys representing the families, said the federal lawsuit will be filed Tuesday. Two of the victims’ mothers will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. the same day to discuss the lawsuit.
“At the press conference, the mothers will express their feelings of anger and disappointment at how the school has handled this matter,” a press release from Allred says.
Gloria Allred in West Michigan during the Jamila Williams trial
Williams, a former math teacher at University Prep, was sentenced in October 2013 to between eight and 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to having sex with four of her students.
Allred, a high-profile civil rights attorney who frequently represents victims of rape and sexual abuse, attended some of the hearings in the Williams case and previously hinted at a potential lawsuit against the schools. Attorney Genie Eardley is also representing the victims.
