A legal claim for personal injuries and damages has been filed against a Santa Barbara Charter School teacher who was arrested last month for secretly recording minors at the school.

Steven Schapansky, a 54-year-old Goleta resident, was arrested on July 12 after law enforcement received reports of secret recording devices found in his possession.

Sheriff’s Lt. Jarrett Morris said deputies found recordings from various school locations where minors would change their clothing. Schapansky was booked into the Main Jail on a misdemeanor charge of invasion of privacy with a recording device and was later released from custody.

The District Attorney’s Office had not filed criminal charges against Schapansky as of Monday.

Laura Donner, Director of Education at Santa Barbara Charter School, said Schapansky no longer works at the charter school and that his teaching contract ended on June 7.

“The safety of Santa Barbara Charter School students is our foremost concern,” Donner told Noozhawk. “At this time we cannot comment pending the ongoing investigation.”

Santa Barbara Unified School District declined to comment for this story.

The claim was filed by Taylor & Ring, a Los Angeles based law firm, on behalf of a 13-year-old Jane Doe who has been confirmed as one of Schapansky’s victims, according to attorneys. Jane Doe attended Santa Barbara Charter from 2016 to 2023, according to the claim. 

Schapansky began teaching at the charter school in 2017. He taught health classes, including sexual education classes.

Jane Doe’s parents were notified by the school district and law enforcement on July 24 that their daughter was one of the people secretly recorded, according to the claim. 

The Santa Barbara Unified School District and Santa Barbara Charter School are listed as defendants along with Schapansky.

A tort claim like this is often a precursor to a lawsuit. Filing a claim within six months reserves plaintiffs’ rights to sue a government agency at a later date.

If the claim is denied and a lawsuit is filed, it is expected to include additional families affected by this case, according to Natalie Weatherford, one of the attorneys working on this case.

She said they believe Schapansky was recording students for five to six years.

“For something like that to go on at a school for that long, it’s pretty troublesome,” Weatherford said. “We want to get answers for these families because they’re really worried about what happened and what the school is going to do moving forward to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

The claim alleged that the district and the charter school were liable for the misconduct committed by Schapansky, claiming they “negligently supervised” students, failed to protect students, and failed to enforce guidelines, training, and procedures. 

The claim alleges that Jane Doe and her family have suffered “serious and irreparable harm and injury” due to Schapansky’s misconduct. 

Santa Barbara Charter School is located at 6100 Stow Canyon Road, on the campus of Goleta Valley Junior High School. It is an independent school authorized by the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Charter School Asks Court for Restraining Orders

On July 24, Ximena Cristina Cullen, the director of operations at Santa Barbara Charter School, filed a petition for a workplace violence restraining order against Schapansky. 

Cullen also filed a request for a temporary restraining order against Schapansky, with the school listed as the protected party, according to Superior Court records.

In the petition to the court, Cullen wrote that Schapansky filmed staff and students without their knowledge and he had caused emotional harm. She requested that the court order him to stay 500 yards away from the school and employees.

Cullen’s petition stated that he was on leave from his position, but Donner told Noozhawk this week that Schapansky’s contract has ended and he is no longer an employee.

The court is scheduled to hear the petitions next week.