John Bollman, Joey Lombardi and three others are filing suit Thursday claiming that they were abused as children he at what was then called Lake Bluff Junior High--by their math teacher and soccer coach Charles Ritz.
"I can assure you and everyone in this room, this all could have been settled for an 'I’m sorry,'" Bollman said.
"Lake Bluff school district was aware that Charles Ritz was acting inappropriately with children from the time he arrived at Lake Bluff Middle School, yet the school district did nothing about it," said attorney Marc Pearlman.
Ritz plead guilty last year to public indecency, but Bollman and the other alleged victims say the district needs to do more.
"We want an apology," Bollman said. "That’s not something we learned in junior high, that’s something we learned in grade school, when you do something wrong you apologize for it. We have been unable to get the apology we deserve."
The district issued a statement Thursday.
“We want to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students," it reads. "Our schools have a comprehensive system of practices, policies, procedures, and programs in place to help keep our students safe."
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Lombardi said it seems like the district just wants this to go away.
"They are thinking if they wait long enough, this abuse will just disappear," he said.
But Lombardi and the others say they are not going anywhere.
"We are struggling to get their attention," Bollman said. "I have been told specifically: don’t talk to the school board, don’t talk to the administration. So now they are going to have to respond to us."
