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A former Kelowna high school student is suing the Central Okanagan school district alleging a female teacher sexually assaulted him multiple times in the late nineties.

According to a Notice of Claim filed in the Supreme Court of B.C. April 26, the former pupil says the teacher preyed upon and then groomed him before sexually assaulting him.

The alleged conduct took place in 1996 or 1997 at Spring Valley Senior Secondary School in Kelowna.

iNFOnews.ca has chosen not to name the male victim or the female teacher accused of the sexual assaults.

The court documents say the sexual assaults happened on a "repeated basis, increasing in frequency, nature and intensity as time progressed."

The teacher is no longer registered to teach in BC, and it's not known when she gave up teaching.

"The (teacher) used her position of authority and trust, also the fact that the plaintiff was a young child, to ensure that the plaintiff did not tell anyone about her wrongdoing," the Notice of Claim says. "In order to facilitate abuses, the (teacher) engaged in a pattern of behaviour which was intended to make the plaintiff feel that it was unsafe to report the wrongdoings of the (teacher)."

The court documents say the sexual abuse took place over a "considerable period of time."

The former pupil alleges that the school district had the opportunity and the duty to investigate "when they knew, or ought to have known," that the sexual abuse was taking place.

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The court document goes on to say the school district knew the teacher was sexually assaulting the pupil but took no action.

"It failed to report the (teacher) to the police, it continued to employ the (teacher) despite knowing she sexually assaulted the plaintiff," the Notice of Claims reads.

The court documents go on to say the school district "fostered a system" in which reporting such behaviour would result in retaliation and was designed to cover up such conduct.

"The (school district) oversaw the activities at the school, therefore had the power and resources to inspect, check, question, and the duty to oversee all activities in a way that could have prevented the sexual assault from happening," the notice of claim reads.

The court documents go on to say the teacher inflicted pain and suffering, mental suffering, humiliation and degradation upon the plaintiff.

"Sexually assaulted the plaintiff... interfered with the plaintiff’s normal childhood and future relationships solely for the purpose of her own gratification," the court documents say.

The former high school student is suing for a variety of damages.

School District 23 Superintendent Kevin Kaardal said the district had yet to be served the court documents so couldn't comment.

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None of the allegations have been proven in court.

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