AURORA – A suburban Denver school district will pay $11.5 million to students who were sexually assaulted by a middle school teacher who once taught in Widefield and Colorado Springs.
Abbe Smith, a spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District, told The Aurora Sentinel on Monday the settlement was evenly split five ways, with each victim receiving $2.3 million.
Brian Vasquez, who taught social studies at Prairie Middle School in Cherry Creek for seven years, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of sexual assault and one count each of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation.
The Widefield School district confirmed to News 5 last year that Vasquez was a student-teacher in the district from August 2006 to December 2006. He was also a substitute teacher in the spring of 2007 before being hired at Mesa Ridge High School to teach social studies from October 2007 until June 2009.
Aurora’s Police Chief also said that Vasquez worked in the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs before teaching in Cherry Creek.
His LinkedIn page also listed him as a graduate of Widefield High School.
He faces at least 40 years in prison when he’s sentenced Friday.
When police questioned Vasquez, they were initially only investigating accusations from one girl who said she had exchanged inappropriate text messages with the teacher. But Vasquez offered the names of four other students and said the relationships included sexual contact.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
