San Bruno school district sued for teacher sexual misconduct

The 2026 suit, filed Feb. 5, alleges that teacher Nicholas Erickson engaged in an inappropriate pattern of behavior with the minor defendant, listed in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, and other students, including allegedly treating female students more harshly and aggressively, the use of profanity and racial slurs, discussion of sexual topics and interacting with students on social media. 

Erickson also allegedly groped Jane Doe during a baseball unit in his class in April 2023 after complimenting and praising her to gain her trust, the lawsuit said, noting Doe believed she was not the only female student Erickson touched inappropriately during batting practice. 

Jane Doe and her parents made several reports to the school district, as well as to the district’s Board of Trustees, and no action was immediately taken against Erickson, the lawsuit said. During the parent’s first meeting with Parkside’s then vice principal, she allegedly told them that so many complaints had been filed against Erickson the school had taken an “unusual” step of hiring a second female P.E. officer and/or a security presence, the complaint stated. 

“Jane Doe and their parents made several reports to the school. Other children made reports to the school. These parents even went to the school board and reported it — and nothing was done,” Bobby Thompson, Jane Doe’s lawyer, said. 

The school district had no comment on whether Erickson was still a district employee, however, his name is not listed on the school’s staff directory. San Bruno Park School District Superintendent Matt Duffy did not immediately respond to request for comment regarding the lawsuit or Erickson’s employment status. 

The parents of Jane Doe — who reported the incident to the police and eventually pulled their daughter out of the school district — were ultimately informed that Erickson had been placed on “another assignment,” the lawsuit said. 

Thompson is also representing four other victims in another case against San Bruno Park School District regarding Jeremy Yeh. 

That lawsuit, which is currently in the discovery period, with a trial date to be set, alleges the district ignored original sexual abuse claims against Yeh, did not report them to police and facilitated his continued tenure at the school, allowing him to abuse other children. 

A similar pattern of conduct occurred in the case against Erickson’s alleged behavior, Thompson said, including a separate parent reportedly informing the district that Erickson had intentionally looked up their daughter’s dress without disciplinary action taken against him, per the complaint. 

“This school district seems to not be following a mandatory obligation to report,” Thompson said. “[They] circle the wagons around the teacher and … take the word of the teacher over the student or the victim.” 

In addition to financial compensation for Jane Doe, Thompson said he, Jane Doe and her parents are hoping for changes to the district’s reporting policies. 

“Better mandated training for all administrators and teachers, training on how to spot evidence of grooming and sexual touching by co-employees, co-teachers,” he said. “It seems like everyone is just burying their heads in the sand over there.”