SOLANA BEACH — Three high school student-athletes have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Santa Fe Christian Schools, alleging the private school secretly recorded them while they used a classroom as a temporary locker room during a home basketball game earlier this season.
The students, all from Francis Parker School, are represented by attorney Ellen Adler.
Adler said the students first learned they had been videotaped after Santa Fe Christian contacted Francis Parker’s athletic director and other administrators. The school notified them “that there had been some incident in the choir room that had created a mess and also provided video tape right to them,” Adler said.
Francis Parker staff then informed the students, who were “horrified.”
Adler added that her firm has not directly contacted Francis Parker’s administrative staff and is unaware of what actions they may have taken, including whether a criminal report was filed.
“Our investigation showed that, as the home team for the sporting event, Santa Fe Christian directed the team to a room where they could meet, change, do whatever they need in order to prepare for the game, before, during, and after,” Adler said. “I have not heard from any of my clients or from my investigation that students were directed to change in the bathroom instead of the choir room.”
Adler said her firm repeatedly reached out to Santa Fe Christian before filing the complaint, including submitting preservation-of-evidence letters twice, but the school never responded.
“It was only after CBS 8 published a news story that all of a sudden they have a position on the incident,” she said.
Adler said her investigation suggests the practice may have affected “hundreds, if not thousands of students, because it’s not just Francis Parker basketball, but other visiting schools, and other sports that may have used the choir room as a makeshift locker room.”
She emphasized that this is why the lawsuit was filed as a class action rather than individual claims.
Adler also said the recordings “definitely appear to fall under the criminal statute (California Penal Code 647), as we cited in our complaint, but it’s completely up to the discretion of the district attorney whether they would desire to press charges based on additional factual investigation.”
The first case management conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4 before Judge Marcella McLaughlin in Department C-72 in San Diego Superior Court. Adler said she expects additional students to come forward as plaintiffs.
The North Coastal Sheriff’s Station confirmed it has no active investigation regarding the incident.
Santa Fe Christian spokesperson Dawn Saunders, the school’s director of marketing and communications, issued the following April 7 statement:
“At Santa Fe Christian, visiting teams are provided a room to gather and to meet when competing on our campus. In some cases, it can be a locker room, and in the common event that our locker rooms are occupied, then a visiting team is permitted to use our choir classroom as a meeting space, along with the nearby restrooms if anyone is in need of them.
“The choir classroom is set aside for team meetings only, and the restrooms are designated for any changing as needed. Our security and safety protocol maintains cameras in classrooms and throughout other campus spaces as part of our broader commitment to student safety and campus security. Cameras are not located in any locker rooms or in any restroom. The choir classroom does have a security camera, as do all classrooms, as it is not designated or outfitted as a locker room, as it lacks lockers, showers or toilets.
“Following the game in question, school personnel became aware of damage to the choir classroom that appeared to have occurred while members of the visiting team were using the room as a meeting space. As part of our effort to determine what and when the damage occurred, our athletic director requested access to classroom video footage from our director of security.
“Upon reviewing the video, our athletic department leadership contacted the visiting team’s athletic director and the athletic directors from both schools addressed it directly, communicated promptly and worked through it professionally regarding the situation and the appropriate next steps.”
