Trinity Valley parents sue, say school failed to protect 16 girls from sexual abuse
A group of Trinity Valley parents is suing the Fort Worth K-12 private school and its board of trustees for failure to protect their children from alleged sexual abuse by former piano teacher Trent Muse, court documents state.
The lawsuit was filed in Tarrant County on Wednesday, March 26. The plaintiffs are bringing suit on behalf of themselves and their children, identified as Janie Doe 1-9, and are asking for more than $1 million in damages.
“We believe the evidence will show that the defendants in this case created the conditions for this serial pedophile to continually assault and traumatize these kids,” attorney Natalie Arbaugh said in a news release.
Trinity Valley School did not immediately return the Star-Telegram’s request for comment on Friday, March 28.
Muse, 28, was arrested June 24 on allegations of inappropriate conduct with children at the school. He was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury Dec. 13 on five counts of indecent exposure with a child. The criminal case is pending.
Suit says piano teacher abused at least 16 girls
According to the lawsuit, at least 16 young girls were sexually abused by Muse during his employment at Trinity Valley in the 2022-23 school year.
He exposed himself to the girls and masturbated in front of them, the lawsuit states. He also forced some of the girls to participate in “games” where they would have to touch his private parts and allow him to touch them, according to the suit.
“Afterwards, Muse would then give Janie Doe 9 a ‘prize,’ such as candy or an eraser, for participating in his sadistic game,” the lawsuit states regarding one of the students.
The school didn’t monitor Muse, even though he gave one-on-one lessons to girls ages 6-11, according to the lawsuit. He was also allowed to give lessons to girls after regular school hours and on holidays when no one else was around, the parents say in the suit.
Muse’s classroom was located in an isolated area of the school and contained no working cameras, according to the parents. There was only a small window on the door, and the piano was positioned in such a way to shield what was happening there from an outsider’s view, the suit states.
Parents say Trinity Valley didn’t prevent misconduct
The plaintiffs argue that Trinity Valley School did not have procedures in place to prevent sexual misconduct and abuse. School officials also neglected to teach body safety to students during the 2022-23 school year because the counselor was on leave, according to the suit.
“The school also failed to adequately replace the counselor while on leave, leaving these vulnerable children to their own devices while a predator lurked on their campus,” the lawsuit states.
Muse was fired after a family reported that he’d exposed himself to their child during a one-on-one piano lesson at the school on April 26, 2023.
Muse told administrators that the exposure was accidental following a trip to the bathroom, school officials have said. Then Head of School Blair Lowry chose to fire Muse over his failure to self-report the incident, according to a letter summarizing the findings of third-party investigators T&M USA.
School administrators also contacted Child Protective Services and notified law enforcement about the allegations.
T&M’s investigation found that Lowry and other administrators chose to keep the information about Muse’s alleged exposure to themselves in case it was accidental. School officials reviewed the piano teacher’s employment file and school-issued laptop, but didn’t initiate any internal inquiries to find out whether he had engaged in inappropriate conduct with other TVS students, the letter states.
School misled parents about teacher’s firing, suit says
Parents say in the lawsuit that Trinity Valley School administration and the board of trustees tried to cover up the exposure incident and misled them about why Muse was no longer at the school.
Exhibit A in the lawsuit is a copy of an email from then Head of Lower School Sandy McNutt to a parent in reply to questions about Muse leaving the school.
“Please be assured that there is no cause for concern regarding the leaving of Trent Muse,” the email states. “I have been assured that Mr. Muse left for personal reasons.”
The email goes on to say that personnel matters can’t be shared with anyone “in this case, with respect for Trent. This privacy was our commitment to him.”
The lawsuit also contains a copy of an email from Assistant Head of School Jeff Snyder in response to a question about Muse leaving.
“Please know that while we are unable to comment on personnel matters, we have no reason to believe there is cause for concern,” Snyder’s note states.
In May 2024, over a year after Muse was fired, the parents of three of his former students learned the girls had been discussing with each other “how Muse had not been wearing underwear in front of them and had engaged in inappropriate behavior,” according to the suit.
The families say they immediately told the school and asked for a meeting with Snyder and Lowry.
“Lowry and Snyder falsely assured the families that they had heard nothing like these allegations before, and even though they could not share the exact allegations, there was not any prior report demonstrating that Muse engaged in sexual abuse,” the lawsuit states.
Lowry called one of the fathers later that night and admitted that Muse was terminated after a student reported seeing the zipper down on his pants, according to the suit. Lowry also said CPS had looked into the incident but didn’t find anything substantive. The letter from CPS actually stated that additional action might be required, according to the lawsuit.
In a May 24 meeting with piano parents, school officials told them that the child who initially reported the incident said she had seen “’skin’—which was an inaccurate report of what happened, not to mention a disgraceful and intentional downplaying of the incident,” the suit states.
School officials also repeated the misinformation about the CPS investigation, according to the lawsuit.
Impact of abuse on victims and families
“Because of the continued cover-up by the school and the Board to this day, it is very likely that some parents still do not know their children are victims of Trinity Valley and of Muse,” the lawsuit states. “Indeed, new victims among the approximately 70 piano students Muse taught continue to come forward.”
The children represented in the lawsuit have experienced anxiety and difficulty sleeping, according to the court documents. They have also withdrawn from participating in school and don’t want to hug their fathers, the parents said.
Parents say their requests to the board for more clarity on Muse’s alleged abuse have not been heeded. The board has either refused to meet with them or not provided any substantial information, they said.
According to the lawsuit, the board has pressured the plaintiffs and other Trinity Valley parents to sign agreements that would waive any claims their children may have against the school or the board related to their “negligent oversight over Muse and their inadequate investigation into his conduct.”
The lawsuit also contains a copy of a cease-and-desist letter from the attorney of Jennifer Rosell, the president of the board when Muse was fired. The letter was sent to parents and threatens legal action against them should they make “defamatory remarks” about Rosell.
“Trinity Valley School and its board have done little to care for these victims or their families and continue to prioritize the school’s reputation over the well-being of the children who attend it,” the suit states.
The plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial.
Former administrators also suing Trinity Valley
Lowry resigned from her position in June to pursue “her passion for entrepreneurship,” according to a letter sent to parents at that time. On Feb. 19, she filed a lawsuit against Trinity Valley School and the board of trustees.
According to Lowry’s suit, one of the provisions of her separation agreement with the school was that Trinity Valley officials wouldn’t “at any time, denigrate, ridicule, disparage or make any statement with the intent to criticize” her.
On Dec. 18, the board emailed a letter to more than 6,000 people stating that Lowry had “intentionally advanced a misleading narrative to parents” and failed to properly communicate with board members regarding Muse’s firing.
Lowry is suing the school and the board for a breach of contract, insisting that the allegations in the letter are false and misleading. She is asking for a jury trial and financial compensation to cover damages and attorneys’ fees.
Trinity Valley has not yet filed a response in court to Lowry’s suit.
On Dec. 30, former Trinity Valley staff member Carrie Skains brought a lawsuit against the school in federal court alleging discrimination against herself and other women employees.
Skains had been named along with Lowry in the board’s Dec. 18 letter. She is seeking to recover damages that resulted from loss of her reputation and mental anguish.
Trinity Valley filed a motion March 7 asking for the court to dismiss Skains’ lawsuit. The court has not ruled on that motion.
