RALEIGH, North Carolina – from www.starnewsonline.com – The family of the student reportedly involved with an ex-Williston Middle School teacher has filed a lawsuit that accuses the teacher and two Williston administrators of negligence that caused the child severe harm.

Citing negligence causing “severe emotional injuries” and “great mental suffering” to the student, the civil suit was filed against former Williston language arts teacher Jessica Wishnask, current Williston principal MaryPaul Beall and current assistant principal Burton Kilpatrick on Friday.

Wishnask is facing criminal charges of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a minor and dissemination of harmful materials to a minor after a Wilmington police officer arrested her May 23 when she was found in a parked car downtown with the 15-year-old boy.

During her time at Williston, Wishnask had been suspended twice to allow administrators to investigate a possible inappropriate relationship with the same boy. According to a statement from the New Hanover County Board of Education, Wishnask was suspended after being observed in a classroom with the student behind a locked door, and again when she was seen talking to him at an athletic event after having been told to have no further communications with him.

The lawsuit accuses Beall and Kilpatrick of negligence in failing to inform the student’s mother about the school’s investigation into his relationship with Wishnask, and failing to take appropriate steps to protect the student.

Beall said Monday that she had not yet been served the papers by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

“I don’t want to make any comments or anything that’s going to harm me in any way. I’d rather not talk about it,” Beall said.

Kilpatrick could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

The lawsuit alleges that Wishnask, 27, committed “willful, wanton and gross” negligence in her ongoing relationship with the student, taking indecent liberties with the student and committing statutory rape, which the suit claims caused the student “great mental suffering” and “severe and permanent emotional injuries.”

Beall and Kilpatrick are being sued as individuals, not involving the school district.

Also included in the suit is a complaint from the student’s mother of “severe emotional distress” allegedly due to negligence on the part of Beall, Kilpatrick and Wishnask. Cases like these involving a minor are hard on all parties involved, according to Troy Slaughter, the attorney representing the student and his family.

“They’re always difficult, always emotional, because of the facts of the underlying situation,” Slaughter said. “One of our primary goals is to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The StarNews does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes.

Wishnask also filed a complaint against New Hanover County Board of Education on June 5, to prohibit them from disclosing information in her personnel file, on the grounds that it would hurt her chances at trial. The board met the same day and released the reasons for her two suspensions prior to her resignation from New Hanover County Schools to teach in Pitt County.