A lawsuit filed against the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Santa Barbara Charter School and Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido does not seek damages. Instead, accountability is demanded.

“These public officials have not done what the Constitution and the education code say they have to do to provide safe schools, safe places for children in schools,” said Barry Cappello of Cappello & Noël LLP Trial Lawyers.

The lawsuit filed in September comes after former Santa Barbara Charter School teacher Steven Schapansky was charged with two felonies and 70 misdemeanors. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says it has been illegally recording minors in locker rooms with hidden cameras for six years.

Officials say Schapansky skipped court and a warrant is still out for his arrest. He did not enter a plea.

KSBY News reporter Juliet Lemar spoke with Elsa Granados, executive director of STESA, about how electronic surveillance can affect children.

“It makes people afraid because they were in a space they trusted. In this case, they were at a school,” Granados explained.

STESA, which stands for Standing Together to End Sexual Assault, works to help victims of sexual assault. Granados says the market for images of minors is a billion dollar industry.

“And it’s not something you can just use locally. It can be spread nationally and internationally,” Granados said.

Cappello represents two of the alleged victims and their parents. He says the lawsuit seeks a court order requiring safety plans, facility inspections and monitoring to prevent illegal registration of minors and ensure safeguards are implemented. He also says the sheriff’s office is still investigating whether Schapansky distributed anything and, if so, how.

In a statement, Superintendent Salcido said, “The County Superintendent of Schools does not extend to the charter school’s staff, facilities or day-to-day operations, and that under California law, charter schools operate independently as a separate legal entity.”

Capello disagrees.

“It’s her job to do that. She should have a safety plan and she should monitor the schools,” Capello said.

Under the California education code presented in the lawsuit, the superintendent is authorized to monitor operations at every school in the county, including charter schools.

Santa Barbara Unified School District officials said in a statement, “Our entire district community has a responsibility to care for our students and create safe learning environments.”

Santa Barbara Charter School declined to comment.

“Government officials, they have to say, you know, the buck stops with me. We should have done more. We will do more,” Capello said.