A mom claims her daughter was assaulted at a CT summer school. The child was there to learn English.

A woman is suing a town and school board with a claim that a school volunteer sexually assaulted her daughter during summer English as a second language classes two years ago.

The lawsuit does not name the girl or give her age, but court documents say she was attending summer classes at the West Hartford Florence Smith STEM School at the time.

In late June and July 15 of 2022, the male school volunteer allegedly “sexually assaulted and inappropriately touched the minor plaintiff, Jane Doe, on three separate occasions during regular school hours,” the suit claims.

The school system has until early July to respond to the suit, which was filed June 12 in Hartford Superior Court. Judge James Graham has scheduled an Aug. 15 hearing.

“The town of West Hartford and the school district take any allegation of sexual assault very seriously, and this matter was investigated by the West Hartford Police Department and referred to the Department of Children and Families ,” Corporation Counsel Dallas Dodge told The Courant.

“Unfortunately, because both the victim and the alleged offender were juveniles, we cannot comment further due to federal and state privacy laws,” Dodge said.

Attorney Christopher Flood of Middletown filed the suit on behalf of the girl and her mother; a message was left seeking comment.

The lawsuit refers to the man involved as “a volunteer” helper at the school, but does not provide further details about his role in the summer program or whether he was assigned directly to work with the girl.

The town and the school board, which is also named as a defendant, allegedly were negligent and should have known that the man “made inappropriate physical and sexual advances,” and that he had alleged “violent and inappropriate tendencies,” the suit claims.

Flood, who operates The Flood Law Firm LLC, said in a court affidavit that the assault was recorded in the girl’s medical records. But the lawsuit does not include those records, and seeks to protect the identity of the girl and her family.

“My daughter has suffered severe trauma and mental anguish as a result of the assault,” her mother said in a separate affidavit, which was filed under the name of Jane Doe 2. “Allowing my daughter and myself to proceed with pseudonyms would help alleviate the anxiety and embarrassment that this event and litigation has caused.”

Graham signed an order authorizing the use of pseudonyms, declaring that the plaintiffs’ privacy concerns are enough to outweigh public interest in knowing the girl’s name.

The lawsuit says the girl was attending the English for Speakers of Other Languages program when the incidents happened.

The West Hartford schools’ web page describes the classes as “a four-week, half day program serving English language learners grades K-8. The focus of the program is language development with daily blocks built in for math and literacy instruction.”

The description adds that high school students are “recruited to volunteer as student helpers in the classroom. These students are recruited by the District ESOL curriculum specialist in partnership with high school administrators,” and that those helpers frequently are also intermediate to advanced-level English language learners.

“Students share a special connection with these helpers who may share similar experiences of learning the language and a new culture,” it continues.

In three separate incidents during summer school hours in 2022, the school volunteer allegedly “sexually abused, assaulted and exploited” the girl, according to the suit. It claims the defendants failed to properly keep the girl safe during the school program, didn’t properly screen prospective school volunteers and didn’t supervise the alleged assailant.

The girl suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, embarrassment and humiliation, feelings of vulnerability and a change in personality, according to the suit. It says the family has spent money on treatment and that the girl will likely need further care in the future. The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages.