CONEJO VALLEY, SIMI VALLEY : Schools Sued Over Children’s Injuries

The parents of two children injured in separate incidents on school grounds have filed lawsuits against the Conejo Valley and Simi Valley unified school districts.

Both suits claim negligence against the districts for inadequate supervision of the children. Both districts have rejected claims filed by the parents.

In the Conejo Valley case, parent Christopher Mahan, an attorney, filed suit on behalf of his daughter, a Maple Elementary School sixth-grade student who was injured in April, 1990, after one of several boys involved in a shoving match fell on her.

The girl’s ankle was broken as a result of the fall, and she spent several weeks in a wheelchair, Mahan said.

The suit charges that the accident happened because the teacher left the girl and other children, who were lined up for lunch, unsupervised outside while she was in the classroom preparing other students to join them in the lunch line.

Mahan said he is seeking compensation for medical bills and for pain and suffering “in excess of $1,000.”

Conejo Valley Supt. William R. Seaver said the district gets two to three claims a month stemming from on-campus incidents, most involving playground injuries.

The claims are usually either paid or rejected by the district’s insurance company and usually do not proceed to lawsuits, he said.

The Simi Valley suit was filed on behalf of a 13-year-old boy, a student at Valley View Junior High School, who was hit by an older non-student in January, said Frank White, the boy’s attorney.

The boy was treated in an emergency room for bruises and damage to one eye, White said. The suit, which also names the alleged assailant and his parents, seeks unspecified damages.

Simi Valley officials were unavailable for comment.