Parents of Secretly Filmed Child Take Santa Barbara Charter School, School District to Court for Negligence

[Updated Wednesday, August 7, 3:12 p.m.]

Many Santa Barbara parents have felt uneasy since it was revealed that Steven Schapansky, a 5th-6th grade teacher at Santa Barbara Charter School in Goleta, was allegedly found with hidden recording devices and videos of children in places where they change clothes. 

That includes the parents of Jane Doe, a confirmed victim and subject of the recordings, who are now filing a claim against the Santa Barbara Unified School District and the charter school alleging that the institutions were liable for Schapansky’s misconduct, claiming they “negligently supervised” and failed to protect students, as well as failed to enforce guidelines, training, and procedures.

It also alleges that Jane Doe and her family have suffered “serious and irreparable harm and injury” due to Schapansky’s misconduct.

Schapansky was arrested last month on a misdemeanor charge of invasion of privacy with a recording device, but was released shortly after. He taught health classes, including sexual education classes, at the school starting in 2017. Since the Independent first broke the news about the case, several parents have reached out with concerns and questions. 

“We have had some outreach as well — this is a case of great public interest,” said Raquel Zick, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. “Investigation remains ongoing, and detectives do not have additional information to share at this stage.”

Attorneys David Ring and Natalie Weatherford of Taylor and Ring, a California plaintiff trial law firm, filed the recent claim against the district and the school on behalf of 13-year-old Jane Doe, a confirmed victim of the illicit recording at the school. She attended the school from 2016 to 2023. Doe’s parents were notified by the school district and law enforcement on July 24 that their daughter was secretly recorded, according to the claim. 

The tort claim, Weatherford explained, is a sort of “precursor” to filing a lawsuit, reserving the plaintiffs’ rights to sue a government agency at a later date, and is aimed at obtaining compensation for the young victims. As to what they are filing the claim over, Weatherford said it is “twofold” at this point. 

“It’s the negligence of the school district in allowing something like this to happen on the campus,” she said. “We have information that he was recording students for almost six years.”

She added, “And it’s also to get answers for the families, and wherever this ends up, that the families and their children are protected going forward.” 

Schapansky was employed at the school for seven years. However, Laura Donner, the school’s director of education, called the allegations a “complete shock.” Schapansky’s profile on the school’s website has since been taken down, and he will not be returning to the school. His teaching contract ended on June 7, according to Donner.

“It’s just so unexpected and so upsetting,” Donner said.

Besides the misdemeanor, no other criminal charges have yet been filed against Schapansky. 

However, court records show that Santa Barbara Charter School filed a petition against Schapansky on July 24 for a workplace violence restraining order — used to protect employees from a person who has stalked, harassed, been violent, or threatened violence at the workplace — to protect Cristina Cullen, the school’s director of operations.

In the petition to the court, Cullen wrote that Schapansky filmed staff and students without their knowledge and he had caused emotional harm. She requested that the court order him to stay 500 yards away from the school and employees. A hearing is scheduled for August 12.

“Steve Schapansky no longer works at SBCS,” Donner said in response to inquiries about the school’s restraining order against Schapansky. “The safety of Santa Barbara Charter School students is our foremost concern. At this time we cannot comment pending the ongoing investigation.”

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said last month that it is “conducting extensive follow-up on this case” to identify the juvenile victims in the recordings and working closely with administrators from the school to coordinate outreach and support services.

If Jane Doe’s claim is denied, Weatherford said that it’s possible that they will file a lawsuit including additional families involved in the case, and they will “see what develops from this.” 

“But at this point, we know of one family that’s absolutely been affected by what’s happening,” she said. “In situations like this, I can tell you that these people feel incredibly helpless.

“This case raises significant concerns about privacy and safety in schools,” she continued. “Schools must take steps to protect children from predators, especially predators on their own campus.”

The Santa Barbara Unified School District does not comment on pending litigation.

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