MILL HALL — A former Central Mountain High School student has filed a lawsuit against the Keystone Central School District and a retired teacher/football coach alleging misconduct stemming from a sexual assault that took place in spring 2011.

According to court documents, filed for the defendant — listed as Jane Doe — by her attorney, Jay L. Edelstein, Esq. in Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, she alleged she was assaulted by retired teacher James C. Renninger when she was 17-years-old and a senior at CMHS. Renninger taught social studies at the high school at that time.

The lawsuit, filed in July, names the district, Renninger along with five John Does and five ABC Corporations as defendants.

According to court documents the John Does, “are/were responsible for the orderly administration of schools within Keystone Central, including but not limited to, CMHS.”

The ABC Corporations “are/were corporate, jural and/or public entities organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” and “were responsible for the orderly administration of the schools within Keystone Central” including CMHS, court documents read.

The complaint alleges Jane Doe returned to CMHS in spring 2011 following “an involuntary incarceration at a juvenile detention center” for an altercation that occurred while she was on probation.

The complaint goes on to say Jane Doe’s return did not feel like a fresh start and she faced ostracization by her peers, teachers and administrators at the high school.

“Jane Doe heard whispers, conversations around her that were cut short and awkward silences as she walked around her school,” court documents read.

This “poisonous” environment made Jane Doe “susceptible to the subsequent grooming” by Renninger, the documents say.

Documents state a power dynamic “of imbalance and vulnerability” was created between Jane Doe and the defendant which increased with enrollment in one of his classes.

Court documents allege Renninger “observed the maltreatment and harassment that Jane Doe faced” and “would go out of his way to treat Jane Doe differently.” This would include smiling at her at school and treating her nicely and repeatedly complimenting her.

Court documents state the alleged assault happened on May 6, 2011 when Jane Doe was outside or near Renninger’s classroom.

According to court documents, Jane Doe alleges Renninger observed her peers “were agitating and/or harassing her again” and offered that she could eat lunch in his classroom.

After accepting the offer, Jane Doe “tried to sit in her classroom seat, which was in the fourth row from the front of the classroom” when “without warning or consent” the defendant locked the classroom door and grabbed Jane Doe’s face, court documents said.

According to the complaint, Renninger allegedly started kissing Jane Doe and placing his hand down her pants and between her legs. He’s further accused in court documents of forcing Jane Doe to perform oral sex and then bending her over a desk and sexually assaulting her.

“Around the same time… students had gathered outside the classroom (and) were trying to enter the classroom but the door was locked,” court documents read.

The complaint alleges that, after the assault, Jane Doe was let go and was in a “daze of confusion, humiliation and emotional pain” and stormed out of the classroom.

The complaint indicates students suspected “something inappropriate was happening” between Renninger and Jane Doe and “began spreading rumors around the high school community” that the two “had a sexual affair.”

Documents allege members in the CMHS community “referred to Jane Doe as ‘whore’ and ‘slut.'”

Around May 10, 2011, the complaint states “upon information and belief, the rumors of an affair caused a member or members of the CMHS administration to conduct an interview with Jane Doe.”

Jane Doe was called to the high school’s administrative office where a staff member “told Jane Doe that an incident report had been made regarding” herself and Renninger.

Jane Doe denied the incident when speaking to CMHS school administrators, court documents said.

“Jane Doe feared that if she told the truth she would not be believed and would be caused to suffer within the CMHS community,” the complaint stated.

The complaint alleges the high school did not investigate the matter further, offer Jane Doe counseling or refer her to a hospital or school nurse and did not notify Child Protective Services or the local police.

The complaint further alleges that Jane Doe later saw Renninger at the local YMCA where he asked “if she had told anyone that he sexually assaulted her.”

Jane Doe allegedly told the defendant she had not, however “(she) had already told her very close friend” about the assault, court documents state.

It was noted in court documents the assault took place “against the backdrop of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s investigation into the Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile child sexual abuse scandal.”

Documents note CMHS was “the epicenter of the investigation into, ‘victim 1,’ from which initial reports emerged, and Keystone Central and CMHS served as the originating site of what would become a national scandal.”

The complaint alleges the district at the time allowed “ongoing institutional inaction and indifference towards teacher-student sexual misconduct to persist, thereby exposing students to continued risk of harm, emotional trauma and sexual misconduct including minor students like Jane Doe.”

Sandusky was arrested and charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period from 1994 to 2009 following a two-year grand jury investigation.

In 2012 he was found guilty on 45 of the charges and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

The district along with the John Does and ABC Corporations are accused by Jane Doe of negligence, institutional sexual assault, civil conspiracy/aiding and abetting and vicarious liability.

Renninger is accused of negligence, institutional sexual assault, sexual assault and indecent assault, corruption of minors, assault, battery and two counts of intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Jane Doe is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, alleging the assault and misconduct by the district caused her to sustain “severe, painful and permanent personal injury,” court documents say.

According to docket entries filed through Bucks County courts, an order entered by Judge Denise Bowman approved a motion for extension of time to respond to the complaint on Aug. 29. The motion was filed by the Keystone Central School District on Aug. 25.

Representatives of KCSD declined to comment regarding the ongoing litigation.

“The district is aware of the Complaint, which is a matter of pending litigation. The district does not comment upon matters of pending litigation,” Superintendent Dr. Francis Redmon told The Express.

Attempts to reach Renninger’s attorney for comment were unsuccessful.