Lawsuit Claims Olympia School District Hid Sex Abuse From Parents

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Olympia School District is facing a lawsuit that claims it hid information from families about a school bus driver who admitted to molesting their children.

The Olympian reports that Gary Shafer was sentenced in 2011 to more than 14 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting three girls. He had admitted to molesting up to 30 children over a six-year period.

The suit claims district officials knew of other victims based on a psychosexual evaluation of Shafer but withheld their names and other information from parents and police.

The school district says in a statement it made "every reasonable effort" to contact families and law enforcement after learning about potential victims.

Families of previous victims have settled with the district for as much as $1.4 million