San Francisco School Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Was your child sexually abused at a school in San Francisco, CA?

At Kellogg & Van Aken LLP, we are trusted school sexual abuse lawyers serving families across San Francisco and the surrounding area.

If your child was sexually abused by a teacher, staff member, or another student at a San Francisco school, you may be facing decisions about your child's safety, whether to keep them enrolled, and who should be held responsible. Adults who were abused as students often face that last question too.

Our San Francisco, CA school sexual abuse lawyer represents children, parents, and adult survivors in claims arising from abuse at public, private, charter, and religious schools. Kellogg & Van Aken LLP is a women-owned firm based in downtown San Francisco. Our office offers a free, confidential consultation.

School Sexual Abuse Lawyer San Francisco, CA

A school sexual abuse lawyer brings civil claims for students who were sexually abused by school employees, volunteers, contractors, or other students, and for adults who were abused as students. The claim may name the abuser and the school or district. Schools are responsible for supervising the adults they hire and the students in their care.

San Francisco County schools enrolled 56,149 K–12 students in 2025–26, according to Ed-Data. Each of those students is owed reasonable supervision during the hours the school is responsible for them.

Types of School Sexual Abuse Cases We Handle in San Francisco

School abuse claims often depend on how a school screened staff and answered warning signs. Our San Francisco school sexual abuse attorneys represent students of every age and adults abused as students.

• Teacher sexual assault. Teachers and aides see students daily, in classrooms and in one-on-one settings such as tutoring or detention. We look at whether administrators acted on earlier concerns.

• Coach sexual assault. Middle and high school coaches often supervise students after the school day ends and during travel to competitions.

• Clergy sexual assault. A parochial or religious school can be responsible alongside the diocese or religious order that assigned the staff member.

• Molestation. Abuse of young children by staff, volunteers, or contractors is often recognized only years later, once the survivor is an adult.

• Charter schools. Charter schools are typically run by nonprofit operators. A claim may name the operator as well as the school site.

• Student-on-student abuse. A school may be liable when it knew one student posed a risk to another and failed to separate or supervise them.

• After-school and tutoring programs. Programs held on campus may be run by the school or by an outside provider, and both can share responsibility.

• Bus drivers and support staff. Drivers, custodians, and security staff often have unsupervised contact with students that teachers do not.

• Boarding schools and group homes. Residential programs house students overnight, and their supervision obligations extend around the clock.

Why Choose Kellogg & Van Aken LLP as my School Sexual Abuse Lawyer in San Francisco, CA?

Familiarity With How School Districts Operate

Kelly D. Van Aken has published articles on California school district employment rules, including teacher preparation time and district control over teacher mailboxes. That background is useful when a claim depends on how a district hires, assigns, and supervises its staff. She and Mikayla G. Kellogg represent children and adult survivors in claims against public, private, and charter schools and group homes.

A parent who chooses a sexual abuse lawyer in San Francisco, CA from our firm has that background applied to the child's claim. Both attorneys are members of the American Association for Justice and the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Outcomes for Students and Families

Results to date include millions of dollars recovered for clients, such as:

• A confidential eight-figure settlement for students in a sexual misconduct case against a private school

• $900,000 for a young woman sexually assaulted at the perpetrator's home

• $167,500 for a pedestrian struck by a truck at a San Francisco intersection

What Is Important to Understand About a School Sexual Abuse Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for School Sexual Abuse Cases

A school's liability usually rests on California's negligence law, which holds everyone responsible for harm caused by a failure to use ordinary care. Because a school has custody of its students during the day, it is expected to supervise them and the adults around them. Recoverable damages include:

• Ongoing therapy and psychiatric care, which for a child may continue into adulthood

• Medical costs, along with costs from changing schools or adding tutoring

• Emotional distress, anxiety, and effects on the child's development

• Lost earning capacity when the harm affects education or work later in life

Private schools may also face exemplary damages where the evidence shows malice, oppression, or fraud. Public school districts are not subject to those damages under Government Code section 818, but they remain liable for compensatory damages.

When a school quietly transfers or removes an employee instead of addressing the abuse, that conduct can carry added consequences. A survivor may recover up to three times the damages from a defendant found to have covered up the sexual assault of a minor, unless another law prohibits it.

What Is the School Sexual Abuse Case Timeline?

The schedule depends largely on whether the defendant is a public district or a private school, since claims against public entities involve additional procedures.

1. Free consultation and review of the school's communications

2. Investigation, including the staff member's personnel file and any prior complaints

3. Filing the complaint against the individual and the school or district

4. Discovery, including depositions of principals, administrators, and district officials

5. Mediation, or trial in San Francisco County Superior Court

A civil claim does not have to wait for a criminal case against the staff member to finish. The two can proceed at the same time, although the timing of depositions sometimes has to account for the criminal matter.

What Are Important Aspects of a School Sexual Abuse Case?

Three issues come up in nearly every school abuse claim, and a fourth affects how much the claim is worth.

• The filing deadline. For abuse on or after January 1, 2024, California's childhood abuse statute sets no deadline. For earlier abuse, section 340.11 generally allows a claim until age 40 or within five years of discovering the psychological injury, whichever is later.

• What the school knew. Prior complaints, reports from other parents, and warnings from staff establish notice. Private and charter schools follow different procedures than public districts, but each owes students the same basic care.

• Grooming evidence. Texts, social media messages, gifts, and private meetings often show a pattern that began well before the abuse.

• Your child's future care. A claim should account for a child's long-term needs, including treatment that may be needed years from now.

What Should You Bring to Your School Sexual Abuse Consultation?

Report cards, attendance records, and school emails often show changes in a child's behavior and how the school responded to them.

• Emails, letters, or meeting notes from the school

• Report cards or attendance records showing changes after the abuse began

• Messages or gifts from the staff member

• Counseling or pediatric records

The consultation is free and confidential. To report suspected abuse of a child, San Francisco's child abuse hotline is available 24 hours a day, and the city's victim and survivor services page lists additional support.

Reach Out to Kellogg & Van Aken LLP to Schedule a Consultation

Our San Francisco school sexual abuse lawyer can explain the options available to your family and what a claim would involve. Kellogg & Van Aken LLP takes school abuse cases on contingency, and you pay nothing unless there is a recovery. Meetings can be arranged during or after school hours. Contact us to set up a confidential consultation.