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Suit: Computer access at middle school opened door to sex predator

Posted at 6:32 PM, Nov 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-14 10:57:36-05

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - The parents of a North County girl say a sex predator lured her away from her Solana Beach middle school during school hours.

The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed Monday against the San Dieguito Union High School District and Jeff Calica, who pleaded guilty to one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.

According to the family, the girl met the then 20-year-old Calica through his YouTube channel, where he's seen doing everything from styling his hair and eating ramen, to weightlifting.

The family's attorney, Steve Estey, said last December, the girl started messaging with Calica and chatting on Google Chat during school hours at Earl Warren Middle School, while she was in the library during lunch and recess.

Estey said within the next month, Calica lured the girl at least twice during school hours to a nearby parking lot for sex during lunch periods. She later told her parents, leading to an investigation and Calica's eventual guilty plea.

According to Estey, firewalls and supervision should have been in place to prevent the online relationship, and the girl should never have been allowed to walk away from campus during school hours.

In an email to 10News, San Dieguito Union High School District Superintendent Eric Dill issued this statement:

"...Student safety is the top priority of the San Dieguito Union High School District. Student safety includes student privacy, so out of concern for the minor involved, we can not publicly comment on the allegations at this time. Our middle school networks have advanced filtering to prevent accessing inappropriate websites. All middle school students participate in the Common Sense Digital Citizenship program to empower students to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions online.
  
We encourage parents to talk to their children of all ages about online safety and behavior. The District recently held a series of parent workshops focused on raising awareness on teen use of technology. It is important that parents have frank discussions with their kids, set boundaries, and monitor their use of personal devices."

10News reached out to Dill to see how many and what type of sites are deemed inappropriate, but have yet to hear back.

Calica is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15.