Lawsuit: American Canyon teacher ‘groomed’ victim

A former Canyon High School teacher “groomed” a student he accused of sexually abusing him, according to a recent lawsuit that also alleges school officials punished a classmate who reported the alleged abuse earlier this year.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 29 in Napa County Superior Court, names the Napa Valley Unified School District and Brad Rowell, a Sonoma resident and the teacher arrested and charged in April.

Relatives of the 16-year-old victim, identified as Jane Doe, have filed suit seeking unspecified damages.

The lawsuit accuses Rowell, 42, of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress; and the school district of negligent supervision of students and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention.

It delves into the events leading up to Rowell’s arrest and alleges that school officials mishandled the case when it was reported by a girl identified as Student 1.

“One has to wonder how Rowell felt brave enough to commit this abuse so openly and clearly and so frequently on the school campus,” Jane Doe’s attorney, Kelly Van Aken, said in a statement on Oct. 31. “We believe that former Director Andrew Goff and the failure of other NVUSD employees to report the abuse – instead choosing to punish the young student who courageously reported it – is part of the answer to that ask.”

Goff was indicted in June with the offense of failing to report suspected criminal activity as a mandated reporter, a person whose duty it is to report known or suspected abuse or neglect. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 19.

He was placed on administrative leave in June, and school district officials did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday regarding the lawsuit’s allegations.

Rowell is still being held in the Napa County Jail and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

He has a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20 in Napa County Superior Court, where he faces 16 counts of lewd acts on a minor, six counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of oral copulation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.

Three of Rowell’s lewd acts are charged related to alleged activities between August 2008 and January 2010 in Stanislaus County involving a victim identified as Jane Doe 2.

The rest relates to Jane Doe 1.

Allegations of lawsuits

Investigators previously said Rowell and Jane Doe 1 engaged in sex acts on campus when she was 15, including in a weight room and a cleaning closet.

They also said there were more than 1,300 texts between the two, including sexually explicit photos and videos of the teen, which investigators said Rowell requested.

According to the lawsuit, Rowell became interested in Jane Doe when she attended American Canyon High School as a freshman in the fall of 2022.

She was interested in sports and fitness, and Rowell used his position as a physical education teacher and cross country coach to manipulate her, prosecutors say.

He is accused of regularly complimenting her condition, making playful jokes and paying special attention, such as a secret handshake. At the end of the school year, the complaint says, he wrote in a letter that Jane Doe was his favorite student.

They continued to spend time together through the 2023-2024 school year, including running alone and driving together to and from cross country practice.

“Plaintiff had never had a boyfriend or romantic relationship, and Rowell’s attention felt confusing but flattering,” the complaint said. “When the plaintiff felt unsure and confused, Rowell assured the plaintiff that she could trust him, and reminded the plaintiff that he was her teacher and coach, not some guy off the street.”

The abuse began that summer and continued into the 2023-2024 school year, according to the complaint. It says Rowell took steps to be alone with Jane Doe on campus, including using “Academic Support Passes” signed by staff so she could leave the classroom and visit him.

Rumors and concerns about their relationship surfaced in November 2023.

The complaint states that Student 1 reported the matter in early April to a school counselor, who consulted a colleague before speaking to Goff.

It is alleged that none of them contacted authorities and that Goff instead, Rowell approached.

It says Rowell claimed Student 1 “was the real problem and was obsessed with him.” He asked Goff to remove her from his classroom and the principal complied.

Student 1’s mother contacted Goff twice in early April about the poor response and her complaint went to a school employee, who arranged an interview with Jane Doe.

On April 8, Jane Doe confirmed that she and Rowell had an inappropriate sexual relationship and he was arrested shortly afterwards.

The issue continued to be discussed on campus and a teacher “spoke inappropriately and offensively to his students about the sexual assault,” the complaint said.

Students accused the teacher of victim blaming when he told them to dress modestly in response to the case.

In response to the backlash, the teacher defended Rowell, telling students that “his career was ruined” and that Jane Doe must have done something wrong to be arrested.

Officials have said Jane Doe was never arrested. Still, the teacher was surprised when students told him she was still at school after Rowell’s arrest, the complaint states.

“He later suggested that Plaintiff could return to school because she was out on bail, perpetuating the damaging and false rumor circulating on campus that Plaintiff had in fact been arrested,” the complaint said.

Van Aken, Jane Doe’s attorney, told The Press Democrat on Tuesday that her client still attends American Canyon High School.

“Jane Doe is doing about as well as you can expect from a child in her circumstances,” she said. “She and her family are hopeful that this lawsuit will hold the school district accountable for its failure to keep our children safe.”

You can reach staff writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi