Uniontown student files lawsuit against district, teacher accused of sexually assaulting her
A Uniontown Area High School student sued a teacher accused of sexually abusing her and two other students, along with the school district, which she says could have prevented the assaults.
Zachary Michael Dice, 29, of Uniontown remains behind bars for allegedly sexually assaulting the plaintiff in the lawsuit multiple times and for allegedly striking up an inappropriate relationship with two other students. Dice was the assistant band director at the high school and a teacher at Lafayette Elementary – Middle School. Charges were filed in three cases in March.
The 蘑菇视频 does not identify those who allege they are victims of sexual assault.
Attorney Joel Sansone filed the suit through the student’s mother because the student is 17.
The filing alleged Dice began talking with the student through text messages and Snapchat in April 2019, telling the teen his wife did not love him and would not perform certain sexual acts on him. He allegedly asked the student if she would perform the sex acts instead. He also repeatedly asked to have sex with the teen, and she repeatedly told him no, the lawsuit claimed. After a football game in the fall, she said he took her to a stairwell for sexual activity, knowing it was not monitored by the district’s cameras. He allegedly took her to the stairwell three more times for sexual activity.
The lawsuit further alleged the school district was aware that sexual activity took place on the stairwell, and still failed to monitor the location. The suit alleged the district’s inaction created a dangerous situation that allowed Dice to sexually assault the student, which “constitutes a willful disregard and a deliberate indifference to the rights of the plaintiff” and described the sexual assaults as “foreseeable and certain.”
“Defendant District failed in its affirmative duty to protect the plaintiff from foreseeable harm,” Sansone wrote.
The lawsuit alleged the school district and Dice violated the student’s Fourteenth Amendment rights, which guarantees equal protection, and caused “severe emotional distress, shock, horror, fright and psychological trauma.”
In the criminal case, Dice is facing charges of four counts each of sexual intercourse with a student at school and corruption of minors, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. In his two other criminal cases, he is facing charges including criminal solicitation of a student, attempt to commit sexual intercourse with a student at school, criminal use of a communication facility, disseminating sexual material to a minor and corruption of minors. Dice is awaiting his preliminary hearing on his criminal charges.