In a heartfelt gathering in downtown Baton Rouge, national civil rights attorney Ben Crump stood alongside the family of a teenager from Tangipahoa Parish who has faced unimaginable trauma. Crump, known for fighting for justice, shared a powerful message: “There must be accountability.”
This call for accountability comes after a teacher in Tangipahoa Parish was arrested last year for allegedly having inappropriate relationships with a student. The teenager in question is now represented by Crump in a federal lawsuit against the Tangipahoa Parish School System and the former teacher, Morgan Freche. Crump emphasized that teachers are meant to be trusted figures in students’ lives, yet in this case, that trust was deeply betrayed.
Freche, who worked as both a teacher and administrator at Loranger Middle and High Schools, is accused of starting to groom the teen when he was just 14 years old. The lawsuit claims that the abuse continued throughout the young man’s high school years, ultimately leading to him fathering a child with Freche.
The teen’s grandfather, Preston Alexander, expressed the family’s pain, saying, “We’re trying to recover from this. We just want justice.” It’s a feeling echoed by the boy’s mother, Esoterica Hill, who described the heartbreaking impact of the betrayal. She spoke about how her son’s innocence was taken away, leaving him to suffer in silence. “It’s not a child’s nature to be molested and to be raped by people that are supposed to take care of them,” Hill said, highlighting the deep hurt caused by this situation.
The family’s attorneys are hopeful that this lawsuit will hold the Tangipahoa Parish School System accountable, especially since they believe the school had multiple chances to address the abuse but chose to do nothing. Attorney Aaron Karger stated, “The school district had numerous opportunities to take corrective measures to rectify this situation but in effect, failed him too.”
While the criminal case against Freche is still in progress, Crump aims for the civil lawsuit to shed light on the broader issue of child sexual abuse. He firmly stated, “Whether it is a white girl or a black boy, child sexual abuse is an atrocity, and we must stand against it firmly.” He stressed that there should be no double standards when it comes to protecting children.
The lawsuit seeks various damages, although the exact amount of compensation has not been specified. The media reached out to the Tangipahoa Parish School System for a comment regarding the lawsuit and the allegations but did not receive a response. Meanwhile, Freche remains free on bond as the legal proceedings unfold.
