Two women are suing Fox High School assistant principal Zachary Brown, alleging he groomed them for sexual activities while they were students. The two women, who are called Jane Doe and Mary Doe in the lawsuit, also are suing the Fox C-6 School District claiming district officials did nothing to stop him.
Brown did not immediately return a call for comment today, March 23.
Fox C-6 spokesman JP Prezzavento said today that the district would not comment about whether Brown still works for the district, adding that the district does not comment on personnel issues based on Board of Education policy.
In addition, the women are suing two Byrnes Mill residents – Michael E. Discher and Linda B. Discher – where Brown reportedly met them for a pool party.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court on Monday, March 20, alleges that the Dischers allowed the women to drink alcohol at the party despite one of them being too young at the time to legally drink alcohol.
The Dischers could not be reached for comment today.
In their lawsuit, the two women are seeking in excess of $25,000 each from Brown, the school district and the Dischers.
Steven Andrew Trefts, a St. Louis lawyer who filed the lawsuit for the women, said today that he was not prepared to talk about the case at this time.
No lawyers are listed for Brown, the Fox district or the Dischers in the lawsuit.
In a written statement the Fox district released today, school officials said, “The Fox C-6 School District is aware that a recent lawsuit has been filed regarding allegations from multiple years ago involving two former students. In accordance with state and federal law, however, the district does not provide specific comment about pending litigation.
“As demonstrated by both our policies and practice, the Fox School District is committed to creating a welcoming and productive educational environment for our students. The administration takes seriously allegations of sexual harassment and promptly investigates whenever complaints are made. Our faculty, staff and administrators are keenly focused on the education and safety of each of our students, and we encourage students and families to bring concerns to our attention so they may be addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.”
The lawsuit says Jane Doe was born in 2001 and Mary Doe was born in 1998 and both attended Fox High, where Brown has been a teacher, athletic director and assistant principal.
According to the suit, Brown reportedly began to groom Mary Doe while he was her teacher by sharing inappropriate and intimate details of his personal and sexual life with her.
He allegedly communicated with her through text messages, phone calls, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, the lawsuit says.
Brown also allegedly groomed Jane Doe, but the lawsuit does not provide specific details about how he communicated with her.
The lawsuit also says Brown and Mary Doe had a sexual relationship following her graduation from Fox High. It also says those sexual activities took place both on and off the Fox High grounds.
According to the suit, Brown invited the two women to a July 26, 2019, pool party at the Dischers’ home.
Jane Doe was not 21 years old at the time but allegedly was allowed to drink alcohol that Brown supplied, according to the lawsuit.
The women allegedly appeared intoxicated when they left the party and were involved in a vehicle accident. The lawsuit says alcohol contributed to the accident.
The suit says the Byrnes Mill residents allowed alcohol to be served to a minor and allowed the women to drive when they were visibly intoxicated.
In addition, the suit says Fox C-6 officials failed to supervise Brown and protect the students from his inappropriate and predatory conduct.