A 14-Year-Old's Struggle: Silent Worries in School and Church

In 2018, a young girl named Jane found herself in a dark place. At 14, she was attending eighth grade in Freetown and taking religious education classes. Little did she know, her arts teacher and religious instructor, Gilbert Hernandez, was about to change her life forever. Within six months, Hernandez raped Jane repeatedly in Taunton, Raynham, and Freetown. Shockingly, the staff at the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District and the Fall River Diocese did nothing when students raised concerns about his favoritism and inappropriate behavior. Instead of protecting Jane, they let Hernandez use the situation to control her even more. Hernandez’s actions were so blatant that even students and teachers saw his special focus on Jane. He first got to know her through his son and then strengthened their connection when he started working as a substitute art teacher and faculty adviser to the school’s art club.

The lawsuit claims that Jane was sexually harassed, assaulted, and raped by Hernandez in the school and during religious education classes. Despite witnessing Hernandez driving her to classes and isolating her, church officials did nothing. After restructuring the classes to end Hernandez's participation, they still didn’t inform Jane, her family, or authorities about the real reason for his termination. They covered up his behavior instead. Last year, Jane testified against Hernandez, who was convicted and sentenced to 30 to 40 years in prison. Today, she is suing both institutions for allowing her to be victimized by a sexual predator in their employ.

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