Former Edison High School students have filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey school district, saying that a former teacher and coach abused them during their time at the school. Though the teacher in question has passed on, the former students aim to hold the district liable for their alleged failures in protecting students. These new allegations are not the first to have been launched against the Edison school district teacher.

Two former students say that Frederick Burkley, who worked as both a shop teacher and a coach for the weightlifting club and swim team, repeatedly abused them. The two men now live in Pennsylvania and Florida. Allegedly, the abuse occurred when the victims were between ages 16 and 17, both at school and on school trips. One says that he was abused between the ages of 16 and 17 in 1984 and 1985, while the other says that he was abused between the ages of 16 an 17 in 1980 and 1981.

The Edison High School lawsuit describes how Burkley “groomed” the students by gaining their trust and control them before abusing them. The students say that they have suffered a range of physical and emotional injury. My Central Jersey describes that the boys suffered “severe emotional and psychological distress, humiliation, fright, dissociation, anger, depression, anxiety, family turmoil, a severe shock to his nervous system, physical pain and mental anguish.” 

According to the Edison High School students, the school district should be held liable for the abuse. They assert that the school should have been aware that Burkley abused students, and did not successfully protect students from him.

These accounts are not the first time that Burkley’s students have alleged that he abused them while they were in school. In June, another former student filed the first lawsuit against him. The claims in the first suit are closely mirrored by those in the second and third lawsuits.

Even before this year, there had been other reports that the teacher had been abusing children. In 1986, he was indicted for abusing a 14 year-old boy and a 15 year-old boy. He pled guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual conduct, explains My Central Jersey.

Reportedly, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the teacher’s conduct after another teacher had gotten wind of rumors that Burkley had been abusing students. That investigation revealed that he had abused at least two boys in 1983 and 1984, fondling them after weight training practice. My Central Jersey explains that Burkley pled guilty to these charges. He was then required to receive psychiatric counseling and to pay for it himself. He also resigned from Edison High School.

Look Back Lawsuits in New Jersey

In recent years, New Jersey has seen a number of lawsuits filed over abuse that occurred many years ago. New Jersey was the 11th state to pass a law extending the statute of limitations, in light of the #MeToo movement in which many victims came forward to share stories of abuse in schools, workplaces, religious organizations, and other contexts. In New Jersey, the Catholic Church has been one organization that has come under fire. A list of accused priests was released last year.

Previously, New Jersey victims only had until age 20 to file sexual abuse lawsuits over childhood abuse, and only two years to file a lawsuit over other sexual abuse. Now, these limitations have been radically expanded. Under the new law, victims will have until they turn 55 to file childhood sexual abuse lawsuits, or within seven years after realizing that they suffered abuse, whichever is later. 

The new law aims to recognize that in many cases, it takes victims of childhood sexual abuse years to realize that they were abused, process the effects of the abuse, and to decide if and how they want to proceed.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.