A teacher with the Broward County School District is facing felony charges after allegedly soliciting an 11th grader, police say.
Lem McKinney, 40, of Broward County, was charged with a second-degree felony Tuesday after police said he solicited a student to engage in sexual conduct via social media. If convicted of the charge, penalties could include a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to 15 years in prison.
McKinney was a social science teacher at J.P. Taravella High School, a public school located in Coral Springs.
In an interview with Channel 7 news, the victim’s mother, who was not named as a way to protect the victim’s identity, said he singled her daughter out to help him grade papers before following her on Instagram. Later on, McKinney is alleged to have sent the girl disturbing messages.
The girl brought the messages to her mother’s attention last week and, upon seeing them, the woman reported the behavior to the police.
McKinney has been teaching at J.P. Taravella High School since at least 2022.
Officials with the school district told reporters that McKinney was “reassigned … away from the school and students pending the outcome of the case.”
“We defer to law enforcement for any additional details,” officials said in their statement.
As of Wednesday, McKinney was still in custody at the Broward County jail and had been granted a $25,000 bond, according to jail records.
Leesfield & Partners
Tragically, sexual abuse of minors often takes place at the hands of those entrusted to protect the vulnerable. These predators hide behind unassuming masks, waiting for an opportunity to exploit the children in their care. These individuals can be anyone from nurses, teachers, members of the clergy, coaches and/or family members. In nearly five decades of personal injury law, Leesfield & Partners has handled numerous devastating cases in which these individuals have betrayed the trust of families and children alike, causing irreparable harm.
Sexual abuse at the hands of educators in the United States is a serious problem, according to a study published by the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine. In data collected from over 6,000 participants, more than 11% of survey respondents reported having experienced at least one form of educator sexual misconduct from kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade. About 63% of the abusers were academic teachers and 20% were athletic coaches. Approximately 85% of the perpetrators were male and over 70% of the students who reported the abuse were female.
Numbers from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) show that 64% of all sexual assault victims in the Untied States are ages 12-34 years old. Every nine minutes, child protective services substantiate of finds evidence for a claim of child sexual abuse. And the majority of victims or survivors who are under 18 years old know their abusers (93%).
Through decades of litigating these horrific cases, Leesfield & Partners has seen firsthand the damage that this trauma can do to unsuspecting survivors and victims. With that experience, the firm understands just how crucial mental health and other support services can be for survivors and victims and it is why Leesfield & partners has made regular contributions to organizations dedicated to just that. The firm has done this via The Leesfield Family Foundation, the charitable foundation of Ira Leesfield, the Founder and Managing Partner of Leesfield & Partners.
In 48 years of practice, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have built a reputation as tenacious advocates for their clients, securing numerous verdicts and settlements for those injured as the result of sexual abuse.
Previous Cases
In a devastating sexual abuse case involving a minor who was abused by a counselor at a well-known Florida summer camp, Leesfield & partners obtained an $8.6 million recovery. The camp negligently ignored the clear warning signs of the counselor’s behavior, continuing to allow him to have access to the children into whose care they were entrusted.
In a similarly disturbing case, a high school teacher at a prestigious Florida school sexually abused several students for years. The school was ordered to give numerous, multi-million-dollar payouts to the victims and survivors thanks to the work of Leesfield & Partners.
A confidential amount was recovered in the case of a child who flew on an airline as an unaccompanied minor. Flight attendants and other employees meant to watch over the child failed to supervise the minor during the flight. As a result, a sick passenger was able to sexually abuse the child during the trip.
Leesfield & Partners obtained over $1 million for a client who was raped in an inadequate security case.
For another client who was raped at a Florida shopping mall, the firm recovered over $1 million.
A woman working as a maid at a Monroe County hotel was raped by a man who was allowed to be on the property despite the fact that he was not a guest. The man was left alone, allowing him to sleep by the pool and use drugs. He was not approached by security or any of the other staff at the hotel and was allowed to roam the property for hours before he entered a room that our client was cleaning and attacked her.
The firm secured a $1 million settlement in that case.
The firm previously handled the case of a male child who was sexually abused at a youth center. The firm recovered $650,000 for the child for the assault and for negligent supervision.
“Family safety has never been more important than it is today,” Mr. Leesfield said in the 2021 issue of the firm’s Petition newsletter. “At [Leesfield & Partners], we have the resources, legal skills, and successful 45-year track record to handle your personal injury case.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse, you are not alone. Help can be found by calling RAINN’s 24-hour hotline at 800-656-4673.
If you were affected by sexual abuse and are interested in making a claim, call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 800-836-6400 or 305-854-4900 for a free consultation.