LORENA, Texas — A Central Texas principal filed an appeal on June 11 after a judge denied her motion to dismiss herself from a lawsuit filed by the parents of a pre-k student who was sexually abused at school.
The lawsuit against Lorena Independent School District and the principal of Lorena Primary School April Jewell has been playing out in a Waco federal court for 10 months and this is just the latest chapter in the judicial process.
The lawsuit comes after Nicolas Scott Crenshaw, a long-term substitute teacher for Lorena ISD, was convicted and sentenced for charges related to sexual abuse and indecency of two students at Lorena Primary School between 2020 and 2021, according to the lawsuit obtained by 6 News.
The parents of one of the children filed the lawsuit against the school district and the principal for failure to investigate and report Crenshaw's acts against the 4 and 5-year-old, even though multiple Lorena Primary School staff reported their concerns, according to the complaint.
The complaint of the civil lawsuit alleges five counts of wrongdoing against Lorena ISD and Jewell. Those counts include violating Title IX, failure to train and failure to supervise, absence of policy and arbitrary and conscience shocking executive action.
Under the names Mary and John Doe, the plaintiffs which are the parents of one of the children, are seeking recovery from the district and Jewell for the physical, emotional, educational and other injuries created for the child since the sexual abuse incidents.
Lorena ISD and Jewell filed motions to dismiss, but those were denied by Judge Alan Albright on June 5. In response, Jewell has filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The court proceedings for Jewell in the Waco federal court will now be held up until the appeal process plays out.
According to the district's website, Jewell remains the principal of Lorena Primary School.