South MS teacher’s sexual abuse of high school student no secret, lawsuit says
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- Teacher groomed and sexually abused a student on campus with visible contact
- Lawsuit alleges administrators and staff observed misconduct and failed to act
- Family seeks damages under Title IX, 14th Amendment and state claims
Former Ocean Springs High School teacher James Hawkins groomed and sexually abused a female student her junior and senior years under the noses of administrators, teachers and students, a lawsuit filed against Hawkins and the Ocean Springs School District says.
“The brazenness of this on-campus relationship, conducted in plain sight of students, teachers, administrators, and staff, is further evidenced by the frequent physical and sexual contact that occurred at OSHS during (the student’s) senior year,” the lawsuit says, referring to the student by her initials.
Hawkins is awaiting trial in Jackson County Circuit Court after his not guilty plea to three felony charges of sexual battery against a minor by a person in a position of trust. The school district fired him the day he was arrested for the conduct, allegedly involving the student.
The minor student’s father filed the civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Gulfport against the school district, Hawkins and unnamed teachers and administrators who were allegedly aware of abuse. The Sun Herald is not naming the father to protect the student’s identity.
The lawsuit, filed by Biloxi attorney Christopher Van Cleave, accuses the school district of violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits sexual discrimination or harassment in schools that receive federal funding. The school district also is accused of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and failing to protect the student’s 14th Amendment right to be free from sexual grooming and abuse.
Hawkins is accused of violating the student’s 14th Amendment rights, sexual assault and battery, and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Hawkins could not be reached to comment. The Ocean Springs School District issued a statement that says:
“While the district can not directly comment on pending legal matters, we can assure our community that our staff members and administrators remain committed to providing the healthiest of learning environments for all of our students.
“Once our opportunity to put forth our response arrives, we will do so in the manner provided by the court. Until then, OSSD will have no further comment on this matter.”
High school scene of sexual abuse, lawsuit says
Hawkins started grooming the minor in the fall of 2022, the lawsuit says, when she was a junior in his Earth and Space Science class. He knew that her home life was “sometimes abusive,” the lawsuit says, and set himself up as a “refuge” for her.
He soon began “sexualized conduct,” the lawsuit says. Hawkins, for instance, told her, “You gotta stop looking at me like that, like you want me.” He complimented her body.
He also chatted with her on social media apps, setting up a Snapchat account under the name Riley Reniford so his wife wouldn’t find out.
He first kissed her in the science lab, the lawsuit says, which progressed to heavy petting and fondling in the lab and his classroom. Their social media contact progressed to nude photos and “graphic sexual expression during live video calls,” the lawsuit says. Hawkins gifted the student a necklace that she wore daily, the lawsuit says.
Hawkins told the girl that he loved her and was going to leave his wife so he could run away with her. They had sexual intercourse for the first time in July 2023, the lawsuit says, when Hawkins picked the student up from her job and took her to his house.
Their sexual relationship continued during the first semester of her senior year. They had sex about once a week in various locations, the lawsuit says, including Hawkins’ car, his house and a Walmart parking lot.
Teachers allowed the student to leave their classes, sometimes within the first 10 minutes, so she could spend time with Hawkins, the lawsuit says.
“Despite not being enrolled in any of Hawkins’ classes,” the lawsuit says, “(the student) spent a minimum of three hours each school day in Hawkins’ classroom – usually sitting next to him at his desk, often with her legs or feet across his lap.”
The two even got into an argument — when she told him that she thought she was pregnant — that escalated into a hallway shouting match. One teacher exclaimed, “What the heck is going on here?” before walking away, the lawsuit says.
Multiple teachers and administrators observed the suspected child abuse without reporting it, although the lawsuit details incidents where they warned Hawkins to watch himself. A couple of teachers would not allow the student to visit Hawkins’ classroom, the lawsuit says.
Sexual contact between the two extended to off-campus events, the lawsuit says, including heavy petting in a parking lot during a high school football game.
“This pervasive and open misconduct underscores the complete and reckless failure of OSSD and its employees to protect (the student) from a known predator operating within its walls,” the lawsuit says.
Ocean Springs teacher turns in colleague
In November 2023, the lawsuit says, the student’s father received an anonymous phone call, he believes from one of the teachers, saying that his daughter was “sleeping with a teacher.” The student’s parents went to the police, who promptly arrested him, the lawsuit says. The school district fired him that night.
A statement from the school district at that time said, in part: “We are working with investigators and will assist them in any way possible. The safety of our students and staff members remains the highest priority of OSSD and the charges against. Hawkins are disturbing and intolerable.”
The lawsuit is asking for an unspecified amount in damages from the school district and Hawkins, including punitive damages for “reckless disregard” for the public’s safety, including the student’s. Among other things, the lawsuit accuses the school district of failing to properly train staff to report suspected abuse.
The lawsuit describes multiple injuries for which the minor should receive compensation., including mental anguish. She has medical bills and reduced earning capacity, the lawsuit says. She had to complete her senior year online, depriving her of a milestone experience, and she dropped out of college.
“This pervasive and open misconduct underscores the complete and reckless failure of OSSD and its employees to protect (the student) from a known predator operating within its walls,” the lawsuit says.
