Sexual assault victims file claims against Federal Way school district

Two tort claims have been filed with Federal Way Public Schools related to a former Totem Middle School teacher convicted of third-degree rape of a child in December 2023.

Two women filed the claims against the school district on Nov. 18, requesting damages for being sexually assaulted in 2015 and 2016 while attending Totem Middle School, which has since been renamed Evergreen Middle School. The school is part of Federal Public Schools but in the city of Kent.

The first claimant, who is referred to as SC in the claim, was the victim of sexual assault that led to former Totem Middle School teacher Glenfield Watkins being convicted of rape a child in the third degree. The second woman, who is going by KK in the claim, also alleges she was the victim of sexual assault from Watkins, though he was not convicted of this assault.

On Dec. 1, 2023, Watkins was sentenced to 14 months in prison with credit for time served and was released on July 25, 2024.

Cole Douglas, the attorney representing the two women, said procedurally, the tort claims had to be filed against FWPS before filing the official lawsuit in King County Superior Court, which they have 60 days to respond to. Douglas said the district would like to speak with them, but from his experience, the conversations are usually not beneficial, so he and the claimants plan to go forward with a lawsuit.

Douglas said the victims came forward because they felt like they were betrayed by the school district, and said the district did not protect them from the abuse they experienced. Douglas said they are concerned that abuse in the district would happen again.

Douglas said Watkins was given a sentence that was a little over a year for rape a child in the third degree, and he thinks people outside of the legal system would hope for more in a situation like this.

Douglas said prosecutors are worried about getting the defendant convicted, and the defendant is worried about being found not guilty, so the civil justice system is where victims of sexual assault can take back control. Douglas said the common theme for many clients is that they want to switch the power dynamic and regain some control, which they lacked when they were put in the position to be abused.

Douglas said the way Watkins groomed students was through creating a hyper-sexualized atmosphere, which allowed him to continue out in the open. Douglas said Watkins gave students sexualized pet names, touched kids and smelled their hair. Douglas said training could be instituted to better educate teachers on this inappropriate behavior and help other teachers recognize it.

Douglas said one of the victims was permitted to go into Watkins’ classroom every day with the door closed, by herself, with the lights off.

“I would like the Federal Way school district or Federal Way Public Schools to come forward, admit their negligence, admit their liability in this, apologize to our clients and put in policies and enforce these policies that will protect kids moving forward,” Douglas said. “And I want our two survivors to be able to feel like they have turned this negative into a positive and made the world a better place by being as brave as they are coming forward and telling their story and being able to heal in the process.”

Details of the assaults involving SC

Watkins is accused of having sex with the girl at least three times between Sept. 1, 2015 and May 31, 2016, when he was 55 years old, according to charging documents.

Watkins was SC’s math teacher in seventh grade, and at that time, SC said he would always stare at her, according to court documents. Following that, in eighth grade, when Watkins was again her math teacher, he began to tell her she was cute and beautiful, and she began to spend more time alone with him in his classroom, the documents said.

This led to her sitting on his lap. Then they began to see each other before and after school every day, which then progressed to kissing and groping, and eventually oral sexual intercourse around 20 times in his classroom, the documents state. According to the documents, SC said this progressed for a short while into ninth grade when she began high school, but she does not remember if sexual assaults occurred then.

The documents state when SC was a senior in high school, she revealed the sexual relationship to a Communities in Schools mentor during a meeting. The mentor then reported the disclosure to her boss, who in turn reported it to the Federal Way Public Schools administration. This report is what led to Watkins’ criminal charges.

According to FWPS spokesperson Jessica Morgan, the district cannot comment on the ongoing legal matters at this time. However, she said the district has a shared interest in student safety, and said the district cares about each and every one of its students and takes every step possible to ensure students receive an education in a safe and welcoming environment.