Lake Bluff School District 65 officials knew a teacher held parties from 1975 to 1985 where he gave students drugs and alcohol and abused them sexually but “turned a blind eye” and did nothing to stop him, according to five civil lawsuits filed Thursday.
Former Lake Bluff teacher Charles Ritz III pleaded guilty in August 2017 to public indecency charges related to claims brought forward by students who accused Ritz of abusing them while he taught at Lake Bluff Junior High School.
John Bollman, 49, who now lives in Texas with his wife and children, said Ritz abused him repeatedly. He said he filed the lawsuit to hold District 65 accountable for the “long-term impact” the alleged abuse has had on his life and to ensure that no other students are abused by district employees, Bollman said.
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District 65 Supt. Jean Sophie did not immediately respond Thursday to questions about the lawsuits. In a statement, the district said it would defend itself against the claims brought forth in the lawsuits.
“While the Lake Bluff School District 65 Board remains saddened by the painful events of over 30 years ago as described by these individuals, to fulfill our duty as fiduciaries on behalf of the district’s taxpayers, we will defend these claims in court and not in the public domain,” the statement said. “We want to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students. Our schools have a comprehensive system of practices, policies, procedures, and programs in place to help keep our students safe. Those protocols are reviewed annually and implemented rigorously. We will continue to adopt and enforce all best practices within our control for the protection of our children.”
Each of the lawsuits demand $50,000 plus attorney’s fees.
“I can assure you this lawsuit could have been settled for an apology,” Bollman said. “We want to ensure that this kind of abuse never happens again.”
Attorney Marc Pearlman, who is representing Bollman, said the lawsuits were designed to force “institutional change” at District 65 to ensure it meets its obligation to protect students.
Ritz nor his attorneys could be immediately reached Thursday to respond to questions about the lawsuits. Ritz was sentenced last August to two years of probation with conditions that include no unsupervised contact with minors, no contact with victims named in the case, and no use of drugs or alcohol.
The lawsuits allege Ritz showed the seventh- and eighth-grade students pornography and abused them at his house during parties, in his van, in the school’s library and while on school-sanctioned trips.
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Bollman said a post on Facebook nearly two years ago prompted him to come forward.
“Someone made a comment about Charles Ritz, that wasn’t he a funny guy the way he used to throw chalk at us,” Bollman said. “I responded that there was nothing funny about Ritz.”
But Bollman’s comment prompted an outpouring of responses from other people who shared their experiences with said they had also been abused by Ritz, and an effort began to bring charges against him, Bollman said.
“Well before Me Too, there was an awful lot of ‘me, too,’ in that thread,” Bollman said.
That single Facebook post turned into a 1,000-member Bobcat Pride Facebook group that Pearlman credited for developing much of the evidence contained in the lawsuits filed Thursday, including documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.
Those documents show District 65 officials first heard rumors of Ritz’ conduct in 1975, but did nothing, Bollman said. In 1985, a new superintendent was hired, and held several emergency meetings prompted by allegations that Ritz had abused Joey Lombardi, a plaintiff in another one of the lawsuits filed Thursday.
“They knew what was going on but they didn’t tell parents or offer to counsel students,” Bollman said. “Instead, they gave Ritz a bunch of money and let him resign and move to California.”
Ritz taught for another 30 years in Orange County. Bollman said he had heard from California residents who said Ritz had abused them, too.
The plaintiffs in two of the lawsuits are anonymous, and the fifth lawsuit was filed by the children of Edward Higginson, Sr., who died by suicide after disclosing that he was abused by Ritz to his family, Pearlman said.
Lombardi said he told the principal of Lake Bluff Junior High School what Ritz had done to him but was “shut out.”
“I’m worried about the children today.” Lombardi said.
Heather Cherone is a freelancer.
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