The California school district must pay an additional $2.25 MILLION to settle lawsuits over student abuse by teacher Laura Whitehurst

A Southern California school district will pay an additional $2.25 million to settle a recent lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of the two students she was accused of sexually abusing.

The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount the Redlands Unified School District has paid to Laura Whitehurst’s victims since her arrest in 2013.

In August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6 million to a former student who impregnated Whitehurst while she was his teacher.

The most recent lawsuit was filed in 2021 by another former student who claimed he was exploited and sexually abused at Whitehurst’s Redlands High School in 2007 and 2008 when he was 14, according to the plaintiff’s attorney, Morgan Stewart.

Whitehurst admitted to police in 2013 that she had sex with the teen 10 to 15 times in her classroom and apartment, a police report said.

A Southern California school district will pay an additional $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving teacher Laura Whitehurst, who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing

Redlands Unified spokeswoman Christine Stephens said Friday that the district was aware of the recent settlement but could not comment due to confidentiality agreements.

In the other lawsuit, the boy, the father of Whitehurst’s child, claimed that Redlands Unified officials knew about his relationship with the teacher and failed to warn his family.

Whitehurst gave birth to her child in 2014 after having sex with the boy for a year, starting when she was 16.

Whitehurst, who taught English and was a soccer coach, pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with three former students.

She faced 41 felony counts, but took a plea deal after agreeing to plead guilty to six of the 41 counts.

She served six months in prison and was registered as a sex offender.

The former AP English teacher gave birth to a baby girl in June 2013 after being in a relationship with the student for a year. CBS News reported.

The lawsuit was filed against the school district the following year after the student’s attorney, Vince Finaldi, claimed the district “turned a blind eye to the improper conduct.”

The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount the Redlands Unified School District has paid to Laura Whitehurst’s victims since her arrest in 2013

Redlands Unified School District officials placed all the blame on Whitehurst and admitted no fault in settling the lawsuit

Whitehurst, who taught English and was a soccer coach, pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with three former students. She was facing 41 felony charges but took a plea deal after agreeing to plead guilty to six of the 41 charges. She served six months in prison

“The magnitude of this settlement highlights the severity of the harm inflicted on this young victim and his family, and also highlights the extreme misconduct and neglect by school officials who turned a blind eye to a teacher’s criminal behavior and failed to protect a student “To protect,” said Finaldi.

The lawsuit alleged the district failed to inform the student’s parents after there was reason to believe sexual abuse had occurred.

The sexual contact between Whitehurst and the student began in 2012 when the boy was 16 years old.

The student claimed he was pursued by Whitehurst before their relationship and that she told him she couldn’t get pregnant.

The student was present at the birth of her daughter and shared custody of the baby. However, there is no contact ban between Whitehurst and the student.