SAN MARCOS — The family of a girl who was sexually abused by a former Vista Unified School District employee in 2023 is suing the school district for alleged negligence, stating officials failed to recognize red flags and protect students from harm.
The January lawsuit filed in Vista Superior Court is the result of last year’s assault of a 13-year-old student by Carlsbad resident Conner Chanove, then 26, who was working part-time at Vista Innovation and Design Academy as a counselor, teacher and instructional aide.
Chanove was arrested in November 2023 after the student’s mother discovered him engaged in sexual activity with the minor inside a vehicle at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside.
In August, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, pleading guilty to multiple felony charges, including child molestation, luring a minor for sex, and attending an arranged illicit meeting with a minor.
The complaint states that the school district ignored obvious signs of grooming and sexual harassment and created an environment where the eighth-grade student, referred to as Jane Doe, was able to be molested by Chanove.
“Unfortunately, Defendant Vista Unified School District, by and through its administration, management and employees, chose to turn a blind eye to the ongoing grooming, sexual harassment and abuse of Plaintiff and ignore the red flags commonly associated with grooming and sexual abuse that were occurring daily at the subject school,” the suit states.
In the weeks before the assault, Chanove had been communicating with Doe and other students via Snapchat and had inappropriate conversations with students, including about his personal life.
He also went out of his way to be around Doe, hugging her on school grounds, pressuring her to meet up outside of school, and making comments about her body. He also asked her to get him a gift while she was on vacation and, at one point, gave her his old journal.
“Chanove went out of his way to be around Plaintiff at school and asked Plaintiff to visit him throughout the day despite not being her teacher or her assigned counselor,” the suit states. “It was clear and apparent that Conner I. Chanove was grooming Plaintiff to build an inappropriate relationship during the course and scope of his employment and/or agency with Vista Unified School District.”
The suit also states that on the day of the sexual assault place in the car, Chanove met up with Jane Doe beforehand at a public pool, assaulted her in the hot tub, and pressured her to consume alcohol.
As a result of the abuse, Jane Doe’s family said she has suffered severe distress, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and the situation has “destroyed her happiness, confidence and innocence.”
The lawsuit says the school district should pay monetary damages due to its negligence to cover medical care and treatment that Doe will require in the future, as well as litigation costs.
Vista Unified filed a response in court on Feb. 24, denying all claims in the lawsuit. The Coast News also reached out to district officials for comment.
