KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Center High School staff members were placed on leave two weeks ago due to possible "inappropriate behavior with a student.”
Megan Abundis spoke Friday with the attorney of two boys at Center High School who claim they experienced sexual abuse and exploitation.
Monica Tanzey, an attorney with Stockman Law Firm, is representing the two Center High School boys.
Tanzey says the boys were sexually abused and exploited by female staff from April to July this year.
“There were electronic transactions of money paid to these victims to solicit them for sex, then they were paid hush money so that they would not come forward and tell what happened,” Tanzey said. “The school district allowed these students to be taken advantage of”
The school district said they placed both staff members on leave November 29th.
Kansas City, Missouri, police confirmed a citizen’s report was made alleging child abuse involving the school district the same day the staff members were placed on leave.
KCPD told KSHB 41 detectives are now working with their state partners on the investigation, but no more information is available.
Neither the state attorney general's office or the Jackson County prosecutor's office has returned our requests for comment.
“There was electronic communication sent to them by Snapchat, by cell phones, they were solicited at school. These were staff members that were in the classrooms and that’s how they found these students,” she said.
Tanzey says the school district should have been aware of the women’s online posts for solicitation. She called them red flags.
“There were social media posts, Snapchat messages, there’s electronic ‘Cash App’ transactions, there’s definite concrete evidence, there’s photographs we received, Tik Tok videos,” she said.
Tanzey says she has all of the evidence.
She believes there are many other victims and calls what allegedly happened a systemic problem at Center High School.
“This was a sex ring, there were numerous staff members at Center High School who were soliciting students and trying to get students to engage in sex acts," she said. "We know that there was more than one staff member involved and they were trying to get students involved in this ring."
She’s using the verbiage ‘sex ring’ based on federal guidelines when more than two victims were solicited.
KSHB 41 reached out to Center School District again today based on the boys' allegations.
The district said they have no additional statement other than one released November 29th.
Tanzey anticipates the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office also will file criminal charges.
“There was another staff member that the paraprofessional was trying to set up with students, trying to essentially solicit other students to engage in sexual acts with this other teacher,” she said. “We believe this teacher is still on staff at Center High School.”
The school district says they have not been informed of additional staff members under investigation.
Tanzey went on to claim the boys have been bullied at school since the two staff members were placed on leave.
“They have not provided any services for these student victims,” she said. “We believe they’ve allowed these students to be bullied at school. We know they’ve been harassed at school and harassed by administrators at school.”
Center School District did not comment on this claim because of the ongoing investigation.
