Rob AriasA lawsuit has been filed against the Emery Unified School District as a result of an alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old student by a school security guard.
According to the lawsuit, employees at Emery High School are alleged to have failed to discipline or supervise security guard Daniel Parham even though it is believed that the school was aware of his alleged sexual misconduct with other students. The alleged inappropriate behavior with other female students included inappropriately touching one or more female students and frequently groping their waists, thighs and bottoms on school grounds.
According to the complaint, Parham allegedly began isolating the 16-year-old victim and plaintiff at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year behind closed and/or locked doors in the senior center study room, a lab room, and a gym teacher’s office. Within each of these locations Parham sexually assaulted the student. The abuse allegedly occurred on school grounds on at least three different occasions from late October 2023 through early November 2023.
The young victim confided in an Emeryville Center of Community Life (ECCL) Pool employee that she was concerned about being pregnant following Parham’s sexual abuse. The ECCL employee reportedly told the plaintiff that another female student had notified him that Parham was inappropriately touching her.
Parham was arrested in November of 2023 by Alameda Police and charged with the statutory rape & sexual assault of the 16-year-old girl on school grounds.
Parham, a 21-year-old Oakland resident, is also listed as a former aquatics instructor in the district.
The lawsuit states that the High School basketball coach discovered Parham alone in a dark locker room but took no action to investigate after asking Parham what he was doing. Parham at the time was alone with the victim. “The assault and rape of the student on school grounds during school hours did not have to happen,” attorney Mark Boskovich said.
The ECCL is a joint use facility that houses K-12 students and includes several community uses.
The plaintiff is being represented by San Jose law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard who specialize in sexual misconduct cases.
The legal complaint outlining the damages being sought is embedded below.
We hope the girls harmed in our system will seek recovery and justice. This is an intolerable situation and citizens should demand a deep school investigation. When our kids went to Emery High the district had a history of incompetent screening of candidates including not one, but TWO back to back superintendents and a Principal that had an affair with a mom! How was the security guard perpetrator hired? Who supervises them? In what other ways are our Eville students not feeling safe?