BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham Public Schools has admitted that it’s liable for a series of alleged sexual assaults that took place on a district school bus.

Attorneys for the district filed a statement in Whatcom County Superior Court last month admitting liability to the claims, as first reported by Cascadia Daily News.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that the parents of an autistic student at Wade King Elementary sued the district in 2024.

They claimed that their son was repeatedly sexually assaulted by another male student in spring 2023 while on their school bus.

The suit alleges that district administrators took little action when they were told about the student’s violent tendencies, which targeted at least two other boys in addition to the plaintiffs’ son. The parents are seeking general and special damages along with other compensation for the “significant emotional and psychological damage” they say their son has suffered.

A jury will now determine what damages the district owes the student and his family as a result of its negligence.

The trial is scheduled to begin on July 14.

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, call 800-656-HOPE (4673) to reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline.