BEAUMONT, Texas — A federal jury last Friday found the Beaumont Independent School District and a former substitute teacher liable in connection with the 2019 sexual assault of two middle school students.
The suit, heard before Federal District Judge Michael J. Truncale, named the district and former substitute teacher Brandon Louis Chillow.
The jury awarded $3.45 million to the two plaintiffs. $2.7 million was awarded for one victim and $750,000 was awarded for the second victim, according to BISD Public Information Officer Jackie Simien.
The victims were 13 and 15-years-old at the time they were assaulted.
Chillow pleaded guilty in March 2021 to charges of “online solicitation of a minor” as well as “improper relationship between educator and student.” The charges were based on his interactions with two different students on different occasions in April and May 2019.
He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on the charges.
The suit alleged that Chillow was grooming the students by allowing them to hang out in his classroom at Vincent Middle School and while skipping their assigned classes. He also allowed them to vape, according to the lawsuit.
The principal and assistant principal knew about the alleged grooming at the time and did not stop it, the suit alleged.
He had been working on the Vincent campus for about a year at the time of his indictment, according to court records.
After he was indicted in 2019 one of the victims learned that he had been accused of sexual misconduct with other students while previously working at the Paul Brown Learning Center, according to court documents.
The alleged misconduct was known to administrators at Paul Brown and the district but instead of terminating him he was eventually moved to the Vincent campus, according to the lawsuit.
The suit also brought up that Chillow was charged in February 2005 with making alcohol available to minors.
Chillow, the suit alleged, benefitted from customs and practices at the district that included...
- overlooking or discounting complaints and information indicating inappropriate sexual behavior from teachers toward students
- misclassifying complaints of sexually inappropriate conduct
- hiring, maintaining and/or assigning teachers/employees in disregard for information indicating prior inappropriate sexual behavior toward students
- not conducting sufficient investigations and following up on signs of inappropriate sexually based behavior between teachers and students
- not documenting information and complaints indicating inappropriate sexually based behavior by teachers/employees so as to make it available to all campuses
- maintaining a tolerance for sexually inappropriate behavior between teachers and students
The suit also brought up a similar lawsuit filed in 2007 by a former Ozen High School student.
She alleged that before she was assaulted by a band teacher the district knew he had previously been accused of assaulting three different students at MLK Middle School.
The judge in the former Ozen student’s federal lawsuit found that the band teacher was rehired by the district after he was acquitted of the charges at the MLK Middle School.
12News reached out to Beaumont ISD for a statement. They responded saying that when the district became aware of the allegations in 2019 they immediately fired Chillow.
The district says they are "evaluating the jury’s verdict and has several options that will be pursued including, but not limited to appealing."
Statement from Beaumont ISD Superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen:
First and foremost, our hearts go out to the students and their families impacted by the criminal conduct of the District’s former substitute employee. The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority, and we strive to implement rigorous monitoring and training systems that, unfortunately, even when implemented with precision, do not prevent bad actors. Beaumont ISD in no way condones or supports employees who abuse or victimize students. The actions of the substitute that resulted in the lawsuit were unconscionable and inexcusable. As soon as BISD became aware of the allegations back in 2019, we took immediate action to terminate the substitute and cooperated fully with law enforcement throughout their investigation. Currently, the District is carefully evaluating the jury’s verdict and has several options that will be pursued including, but not limited to appealing. Beaumont ISD remains dedicated to continuing to implement our practices and policies to ensure the safety and well-being of every student.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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