ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -A new lawsuit has been filed against the Riverview Gardens School District and administrators of the school district.
The lawsuit, filed by four students of Westview Middle School, names the school district and four staff members. Three of the students claimed sexual abuse by their former principal. The fourth student claimed abuse by a teacher at the school.
Joylynn Pruitt-Adams and Tanya Patton, superintendents with the Riverview Gardens district, Joshua Hendon, a teacher at Westview Middle School and Cedric Gerald, the principal at Westview, are all named in the lawsuit.
Gerald was charged in 2025 with multiple counts of sex crimes against children, including four students from Riverview Gardens School District.
The lawsuit stated the district has policies that prohibit staff from engaging in sexual acts with students, giving gifts to students, being alone with a student in a locked or closed room with the lights off and engaging in criminal activity.
The lawsuit goes on to state district’s staff and administrators had a responsibility and duty to report instances of sexual abuse of a student to the Missouri Children’s Division.
The lawsuit stated during Gerald’s time as a principal at McCluer High School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District from 2016 to 2023, he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with students and even discriminated against students based on their gender and age.
The plaintiffs claimed the Riverview Gardens School District and Pruitt-Adams failed to conduct a background check on Gerald when he applied to be principal at Westview Middle School in 2023.
There are additional claims that the district knew of claims of sexual abuse against Hendon, which were ignored.
Hendon was hired by the school district in 2023 as a teacher and assigned to Westview Middle School.
The lawsuit states Riverview Gardens School District, Pruitt-Adams, Patton and Gerald were made aware of instances where Hendon would grope female students’ breasts. The plaintiffs said nothing was done to prevent further abuses.
The students in the lawsuit are named John Doe 1, John Doe 2, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 both claim Gerald befriended them and would arrange to take them out of their classrooms.
Both boys claim Gerald engaged in sexual acts with them as minors.
John Doe 1 stated that he experienced abuse from Gerald from April to May in 2025. John Doe 2 stated it went from January to May that same year.
On one occasion, it is claimed that Gerald screamed at John Doe 2’s mother and accused her of racism when she tried to discuss John Doe 2’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
The lawsuit stated that the treatment of John Doe 2 by the staff and Gerald “became so disturbing” that his mother removed him from Westview Middle School.
Jane Doe 1 stated she was groped by Gerald in the hallway of the school during a “hallway sweep”.
Jane Doe 2 stated she had been groped by Hendon. When Jane Doe 2 tried to report Hendon to the school’s counselor, she was mocked. She also claimed that it was implied others had complained before.
Each plaintiff in the lawsuit is seeking compensation for damages exceeding $25,000.
When Gerald was charged with crimes against children in 2025, the school district had released the following statement:
On May 14, 2025, the District received notice that Dr. Cedric Gerald was charged with committing serious offenses, at least some of which involve District students. Dr. Gerald is currently in the custody of law enforcement authorities and has resigned from his position with the District. When the District became aware of the initial allegations, the District promptly notified Children’s Division and law enforcement. Dr. Gerald was placed on administrative leave and never returned to District property. The District has actively been working with Children’s Division and law enforcement regarding the incident.
The Riverview Gardens School District has reached a resolution with other students who claimed sexual abuse by Gerald, according to court records filed on Friday.
Earlier in the week, First Alert 4 reported about a $1.75 million settlement reached between the Ferguson-Florissant School District and a student who claimed to have been sexually abused by Gerald.
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