Former YUHSD teacher suing school district for disregarding victims of sexual abuse
Accusations come as teacher is charged with luring a minor
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Kellsey Jane has not stopped her efforts to bring awareness to the sexual abuse of minors and is calling for changes in the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD), a place where she once worked.
“Dave Hannah was my English teacher [during] my second semester of senior year and he’s the one who helped me get the job at Yuma High,” Jane said.
She describes David Hannah as a former teacher, colleague, and after years of earned trust and respect, Jane considered him a friend.
But when police arrested Hannah on June 4 for allegedly luring an underage student for sex, Jane says she felt betrayed by him.
Following the Yuma High School teacher’s arrest, Jane claims two of her former students opened up to her about their inappropriate encounters with Hannah.
She said, “I tell [students] if you have to question if it’s evidence, it's probably something you should share with the detective on the case.”
Jane notably resigned from her teaching position at Yuma High in October 2019, saying she was silenced by the school's administration for wanting to use her position as a teacher to bring awareness to sexual abuse.
This is an issue she says some students joked about when she revealed her personal traumatic experience on Instagram.
Ironically at the time, Jane says Hannah was one of her colleagues who privately supported holding the school district accountable.
"When I recognized that other people were sharing with me that they have had negative experiences with [YUHSD] in which they weren’t dealt with in the right way, then I started to realize that it was a systemic issue. It wasn’t just an isolated incident."
Jane is now taking legal action against YUHSD.
In an 8-page lawsuit in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona and for the County of Yuma, Jane claims YUHSD is a hostile and uncomfortable work and learning environment that disregards victims of sexual abuse.
She said, “I really want changes in the district. We need to be educating our students about how they can protect themselves. Children need to be given age-appropriate sex education so that they know what’s an appropriate touch. What’s an inappropriate touch. What’s an okay secret. What’s a not okay secret.”
News 11 reached out to YUHSD on the allegations of Jane’s lawsuit for which the school district has no comment at this time.
If you or someone you know is being sexually abused, Amberly’s Place is a safe space for victims to seek help and resources.
