Student Says Principal Was a Lech

WACO, Texas (CN) - An 11th-grader claims her high school principal subjected her to "months of pervasive and escalating sexual harassment," including text messages asking her the "color of ur pubic hair" and "how about going down on me." And she says Meridian Independent School District "systematically retaliated" against her for objecting to the harassment from Meridian High School Principal Kelly Gene Parker, "finally forcing her to withdraw from and leave Meridian ISD."

The student claims Parker started sexually harassing her almost as soon as he was hired, as she began her junior year. She was 16. She claims the district "failed to adequately screen the background of Parker." Had they done so, she says, "Meridian ISD cold have learned that Parker was reprimanded at least three times at Goliad ISD for making inappropriate sexual comments to three females during the course of his job duties at Goliad ISD."

Parker was assistant superintendent in Goliad before he took the job at Meridian, according to the federal complaint.

The girl claims Parker "told plaintiff she was beautiful, asked if she wanted to be a model, and persuaded plaintiff to provide him with photographs so he could supposedly send them to different modeling agencies."

As his "infatuation with plaintiff escalated," she says, he called her into his office "on a regular basis, at least four times a week, and sometimes multiple times each day, in his attempts to pursue her," which interfered with her education. She claims he also "would visit plaintiff's classroom, and simply stand and gaze at her."

She claims that during the fall of 2008, Parker "was banned from the Kopperl Independent School District campus" after an incident in which he allegedly pursued a female schoolteacher "in stalker-like fashion".

The complaint lists more than a dozen "perverted and disgusting text messages" that Parker allegedly sent the student, including "what size r u up top"; "i just wish you would think about me and my needs"; "Just thinking how good u would look sittin there w/ no clothes on ... esp w/ ur legs spread"; "I'm great in the sack ... i know how to please a woman and make her climax over and over"; and "... it may sound like im bragging but im not ... my dick curves to the left and hits the sweet spot every time."

The complaint adds: "Plaintiff constantly resisted Parker's demands for her to engage in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts, and asked him to stop his perverted and disgusting text messages. In response, Parker exclaimed, '... I'm not perverted, what do you think grown up couples talk about ... either ur grownup and mature to handle it or not.' Plaintiff pleaded that all she wanted was a normal principal-student relationship. Parker refused this request and would not stop his sexual harassment of plaintiff. Instead, Parker's sexual harassment just got worse.

"Parker, both verbally and through his text messages, gave plaintiff a graphic list of five things he wanted from her," including oral sex, the complaint states. It adds that Parker offered her $600 for the five things.

After "the harassment turned physical," the student says she reported him to police, who arrested Parker on Dec. 16, 2008, "and booked him on the charge of carrying on an improper relationship between an educator and a student, a second-degree felony. Parker pleaded guilty to the charge on May 26, 2009."

After this ordeal, she says, "Meridian ISD never once offered to provide counseling or other help or assistance ... To the contrary, Meridian ISD continually retaliated against plaintiff as if she (as a minor) was the villain who caused the improper relationship between Parker, the high school principal, and herself." (Parentheses in complaint.)

She seeks punitive damages for discrimination, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault, and constitutional violations. She is represented by Michael Scanes with Scanes, Routh and James of Waco.

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