The Seneca Valley School District has maintained they took the right course of action in handling the sexual assault accusations.
After a Pennsylvania teen was reportedly falsely accused of sexual assault, his parents are filing a lawsuit against the five “mean girls” who accused him.
Michael and Alecia Flood of Zelienople, the parents of the male student known only as T.F. in the suit, are seeking unspecified civil damages against the girls' parents, the Seneca Valley School District and Butler County District Attorney Rachel Goldinger’s Office, after they all allegedly conspired to falsely accused T.F. of sexual assault on two occasions, the lawsuit states.
"[The 'mean girls'] knowingly provided false statements to school and court officials and to prosecutors to initiate criminal prosecution of T.F.," the lawsuit alleges. "They maliciously prosecuted proceedings against T.F. when they knew that he did not commit sexual assault, or the other crimes alleged against him."
Some of the girls have since come forward to admit they lied, the lawsuit said.
The claims began in the summer of 2017, according to the lawsuit, when one of the “mean girls,” K.S., accused T.F. of sexually assaulting her at the community pool where he was a lifeguard. The lawsuit alleged K.S. had been conspiring with the pool’s supervisor to get T.F. fired from his job.
T.F. was let go of from his job but rumors circulated around their high school, until a teacher overheard and reported it to a guidance counselor in October.
The incident was then reported to ChildLine, a section of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that handles reports of child abuse and neglect. Through the Butler County District Attorney’s office, T.F. was offered a plea deal, where he would not have to admit guilt but was on probation.
In April, T.F. was once again accused of sexual assault. He was taken out of class “in leg and wrist shackles” by police and transported to a juvenile detention center where he spent more than a week incarcerated, the lawsuit said. T.F. then spent the following month in house arrest.
In the meantime, T.F. was reportedly being bullied by his classmates, including having a sign with the words “PREDATOR” taped on his back, and asked to stop playing baseball by the school’s athletic director since he would be representing the school.
The lawsuit also alleged the parents of the "mean girls," school authorities and the district attorney continue to protect T.F.’s accusers although the charges were dropped and there was evidence that proved his innocence.
“The ‘mean girls’ will suffer no academic or personal consequences for their misconduct, which critically damaged T.F. physically and psychologically and will impact his young life indefinitely,” the lawsuit claimed.
The boy is now being home-schooled, the lawsuit stated.
However, school district officials maintain they took the right course of action in handling the accusations.
“The number one priority of the Seneca Valley School District is the safety and well-being of our students, staff, parents and volunteers who enter our buildings,” the Butler County District Attorney's Office said in a statement to InsideEdition.com. "We have followed all applicable laws, and we will vigorously defend ourselves throughout the process."
School district officials emphasized they are required by law to report any potential incidents of abuse to ChildLine and stated they have not yet been served with the lawsuit.
Because this situation involves a lawsuit and ongoing litigation, and also because of federal privacy laws protecting student information, the school district cannot comment further on the details of the lawsuit or the situation,” the statement said.
InsideEdition.com has reached out to the Butler County District Attorney's Office and the Jackson Township Police for comment.
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