Horry County students allege sexual misconduct by middle school chorus teacher
Parents of a middle school student say their daughter was sexually assaulted by a teacher who remains employed by the district. Now, they are suing over his alleged actions.
The anonymous parents filed the lawsuit against Horry County Schools this week. They say their child and another student were victims. The students are only named as “Student A” and “Student B” in the filing.
The students were both in class with chorus teacher Paul Inman at Oceans Bay Middle School during the 2019-2020 school year, according to the lawsuit.
Inman declined to comment on the lawsuit when reached by The Sun News.
During the Fall 2019 semester, the lawsuit states, that Inman more than once touched Student B’s s lower back, rubbed her back, patted her shoulders and touched her upper breast area. This made Student B “uncomfortable” so she began “wearing baggy clothes to school to try to avoid attention and contact from Inman,” according to the filing.
On December 17, 2019, Student B told her science teacher about the assault. That teacher gave the student a hall pass to speak with the principal, the lawsuit states. Student B met with Principal Barbara McGinnis and reported Inman’s inappropriate touching.
McGinnis spent less than fifteen minutes with Student B before sending her back to class, according to court documents. McGinnis told Student B it was “probably nothing,” that Inman was “passionate about his job,” and she would look into it, the lawsuit states.
That same day Student A attended an after-school chorus practice with Inman. According to court documents, Inman pulled the girl aside and rubbed her “lower back and butt.” That afternoon, Student A told her mother who reported the assault to McGinnis and Horry County police.
A police report was filed on December 18, 2019, where Student A told police she experienced “inappropriate touching and groping.” Police collected written statements from other students.
Inman was allowed to teach his classes until December 20, 2019, when he was placed on administrative leave, according to the lawsuit. Horry County School District spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said the district does not comment on pending litigation.
She confirmed that Inman is currently employed with the district and virtually teaching.
The school district acted with negligence by retaining Inman as a teacher after “it was obvious that injury had already occurred and would continue into the foreseeable future,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also states that the district violated federal law because the students were subjected to behavior that was “so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it deprived Student A of access to educational opportunities or benefits provided by the school.”
The family is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.
