Survivors alleged that St. Matthew’s ignored known dangers and failed to protect students
SAN MATEO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Stop School Sexual Abuse (SSSA) announced settlements today of claims totaling more than $1.25 million for two survivors of child sexual abuse by a pre-kindergarten teacher at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, California. SSSA volunteers worked with the parties in these claims.
St. Matthew’s teacher Anthony Satriano pled no contest to five felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct, attempted lewd and lascivious conduct and using a child for sexual purposes. The victims, all students at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School, ranged from 5 to 8 years old and were abused on school grounds during official school activities. Satriano was sentenced to 6 years in state prison and is currently incarcerated at San Quentin Penitentiary.
The survivors alleged that St. Matthew’s and Head of School Julie Galles failed to supervise Satriano, allowing him to be alone with students whenever he desired, during which time he took thousands of lewd pictures and videos of young girl students, some of whom he posed or dressed in “encasement” bondage outfits. Satriano sexually abused the students in his classroom and in public school spaces during official school activities (regular class time, after-school enrichment programs, after care or extended care, and school camps).
The cases also alleged that St Matthew’s and its employees, including Head of School Galles, ignored Satriano’s inappropriate physical contact with students and grooming conduct, failed to have child protection policies and procedures in place, and hired staff that did not meet legally-mandated minimum qualifications. The cases alleged that St. Matthew’s and Head of School Galles received many complaints about security but elected to ignore them. These settlements are separate from previously announced settlements.
An important part of victim advocacy is helping survivors and their families address the trauma of betrayal by teachers who abuse and the schools that enable or facilitate the teachers’ abuse. Allowing survivors to be honest and open about what happened is a key piece for survivors to move forward. In addition to providing victim advocacy, SSSA maintains detailed information on school sexual abuse cases in California, including survivor statements, at https://stopschoolsexualabuse.com/.
More information on the St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School sexual abuse can be obtained at https://www.stopschoolsexualabuse.com/st-matthews-episcopal-day-school-sexual-abuse
The lead case is MA Doe vs. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School et al, 18 CIV 01309, San Mateo County Superior Court. The plaintiff was represented by the Law Offices of Joseph C. George, Ph.D.
About Stop School Sexual Abuse
Knowledge is power. Stop School Sexual Abuse is a volunteer-run organization that provides victim advocacy services to school sexual abuse survivors and their families, as well as a website where survivors can tell their stories and a database of school sexual abuse cases. Our mission is to advocate and educate in order to reduce sexual abuse in schools. To learn more about Stop School Sexual Abuse, volunteer or submit your survivor story, visit us at https://stopschoolsexualabuse.com/.
Learn More: https://stopschoolsexualabuse.com/
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Originally published on CaliforniaNewswire.com — SSSA announces Child Sexual Abuse Settlements Obtained from St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School in The Silicon Valley