CLAYTON — A former Ferguson Florissant student has sued the school district, accusing it of ignoring former principal Cedric Gerald's history of sexually abusing students when it hired him and failing to act after receiving reports and evidence the ex-high school leader continued to abuse and harass students.

The suit, filed in St. Louis County on Thursday, names the district and Gerald as defendants.

The lawsuit accuses Gerald of soliciting nude images and videos and sodomizing the plaintiff, who was not named in the suit but was described as a male minor when the alleged abuse started in 2020.

Gerald, 48, was charged with nine child sex crimes in May after police said he engaged in sexual acts with four students of Westview Middle in the Riverview Gardens School District.

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