Lawsuits grow in child abuse case

Multiple lawsuits stemming from a teacher abuse case in the Redwood City Elementary School District were filed in October — one from the parent of a boy allegedly kicked and deprived of food, the others from five instructional aides who lost their jobs after the case came to light.

Alexia Alika Bogdis, who is accused of abusing two autistic boys in her care as a special education teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, will stand trial in December on five counts of child cruelty and four counts of battery on school grounds. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. In October, six cases were filed against the district related to the case.

First, a mother whose son was allegedly kicked and deprived of food by Bogdis is seeking damages from the former teacher and the district. In the lawsuit, the mother accuses Bogdis of pulling her autistic son’s hair, kicking him in the stomach and preventing him from eating and drinking water. She accuses the district of negligence for hiring Bogdis and adds that the teachers’ aides who saw the abuse failed to immediately report it. Second, five instructional aides filed a lawsuit against the district requesting to get their jobs back, money covering lost income and legal fees and to clear the incident from their employee records.

"Protecting our students and keeping them safe at all times has always been our top priority,” said district spokeswoman Naomi Hunter. "Any time RCSD staff become aware of or have reason to believe that something might be wrong, they have not only a moral and ethical responsibility to report it to [Child Protective Services], but a legal obligation to do so.”

Bogdis, a five-year employee of the district, is accused of slapping a student, twisting a student’s wrist and kicking the back of a chair, causing a desk to move forward and strike a student. She is also accused of depriving a child of food and kicking a child in the stomach.

The two victims alleged in the criminal case were her students at Roosevelt Elementary School where she taught a group of 3- to 5-year-old developmentally challenged children. The day after Bogdis’ initial arraignment in March, district officials said an independent investigation showed six employees knew of the possible abuse but did not alert anybody as mandated by law.

The suit from the mother accuses the district of not having trained professionals. It also accuses the instructional aides of not reporting abuse, which could have stopped the situations sooner. As a result, her son was pulled out of Roosevelt, put in a different school, required therapy, spent time in the hospital and continues to exhibit combative and self-destructive behavior, according to the lawsuit.

"We can’t provide any specifics due to student privacy concerns, but the district has done everything it can to address the concerns raised by families of the students in the affected classroom,” Hunter said.

Employees who lost their jobs are hoping to reverse the board’s decision. In the writ of mandate submitted for one employee, they question findings of the board that led to the decision to let the employees go. Employees claim proceedings were unfair, included evidence obtained in violation of civil rights and did not contain enough evidence to terminate employees. Within the writ, it says the aides put together a log of suspicious behavior by Bogdis which was given to the district in February.

Hunter said, "the district went to great lengths to ensure that their due process rights were scrupulously followed and it stands behind the decision to end their employment.”

As a result of the abuse allegations, the district increased the resources available to all staff regarding mandated child abuse reporting. All new employees are required to complete an approximately 45-minute online training that has recently become available to districts, Hunter said. Also, district administrators and current staff members have taken this training.

After Bogdis’ arrest, she was placed on administrative leave and has a court order barring her from campus, its employees and all students. She is also barred from having contact with minors.

She is free on a $15,000 bail bond. Bogdis is expected to stand trial for the charges in December.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by email: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.