LAKE STEVENS, Wash. — The Lake Stevens School District is paying $2 million to former student Kaylnn Taber and her family in a sexual harassment settlement.
Taber says her former math teacher at Lake Stevens High School tried to groom her when she was 15 and believes the school district didn’t take her claims about it seriously.
The teacher was arrested by Lake Stevens police but was never criminally charged.
He later resigned and is no longer with the school district.
“That’s literally their job, and it mostly felt like a betrayal. Like, if you can’t protect students, then why are you even there?” Taber asked.
Taber says her teacher made extremely personal and uncomfortable comments about her body, made unwanted physical contact with her, and would write her extremely personal letters. She says the past few years have been tough on her and her family.
“I was feeling guilty. I was feeling at fault,” Taber said. “It just felt like too much for me to have to handle. So, I was at a very low point in my life for a while,” she continued.
Her mother, Chari, says she was worried daily about her daughter’s mental well-being, fearing that she may never recover from it.
She says Kalynn started having seizures due to trauma.
“I didn’t know if she would be alive to see people believe her,” Taber said.
Chari says that when she was made aware of the teacher’s conduct, she did everything she could to get Kalynn out of his class. Even when she switched classes, Kalynn told her the teacher didn’t stop.
“Then one day, she calls me sobbing, crying that he showed up in that classroom to check on her,” Taber said.
But through all of the trauma, Chari says her daughter has shown so much strength and continues to beat the odds every single day.
“I don’t know adults that could do what she did and she’s protecting so many other kids,” Chari said.
Kalynn hopes that by sharing what happened to her and how the school district handled her case, it will inspire change to make school districts accountable.
“It’s not talked about enough at all. And I think people often come to their own conclusions in trying to figure it out themselves. But everyone pitching in has helped me through this,” Taber said. “Because this will never stop and especially with the school like not doing anything. We need schools to be held accountable or this will never change.”
A spokesperson with Lake Stevens School District sent this statement on the settlement:
“The District cares deeply about the safety and well-being of every student and is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment. We take concerns seriously and continually review and strengthen our practices, training, and systems to support students every day.”
©2026 Cox Media Group
