The parents of a 10-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a counselor at San Jose's Walden West Science Camp has filed a claim against the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
Two claims have been filed this week against the school board and the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Parents of the alleged victims believe school authorities did not do enough to protect their children.
"It really upsets me that the system failed to protect my child," the mother of the victim said in an interview. NBC Bay Area is not identifying the woman to protect her family's identity.
Camp counselor Edgar Covarrubias, 27, was arrested last month on suspicion of being in possession of child pornography. He is also accused of sexually assaulting a boy who attended the camp in January.
The boy's mother said she is living a parent's nightmare.
"Hoping and praying that he can live a normal life again," she said.
The mother said she immediately knew something had happened when her son returned from camp acting more timid, fearful and sometimes on edge.
"My heart, my stomach -- as a mom you kind of know," she said.
The mother said her son opened up about late night walks he was forced to take with a counselor nicknamed "Papa Bear." The parent said she later found out that man was Covarrubias.
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"Someone like him shouldn't have the privilege to walk and have their freedom," she said. "It makes me so sick."
Covarrubias, 27, in a jailhouse interview with NBC Bay Area repeatedly denied the accusations and said he did not know how child pornography got into his laptop.
"God is my judge. God is my witness," Covarrubias said in the interview. "I have not done any of that stuff."
The mother of the victim said she does not understand Covarrubias' denying the accusations.
"How could he do this to children? To my son? He deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life," she said.
Investigators said there could be as many as 30 victims in the case.
The mother said her son asked several camp leaders to go home and call home, but was denied.
The county office of education said it cannot comment on the case specifically, but released the following statement:
The Santa Clara County Office of Education takes this claim seriously, and we are committed to providing the safest educational experience possible for students.
We were shocked and dismayed by the horrific charges filed against a former County employee at Walden West.
As soon as we learned of the charges, we took immediate action to inform school districts and private and charter schools. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their criminal investigation.
We also implemented additional safety measures to further protect students participating in our programs, including enhanced security, reinforcement of the Rule of 3 so no child is alone with an adult.
Given the nature of this pending legal claim, we are not able to provide further information at this time.
Anyone with information about the case has been asked to call the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office at 408-808-4300.
NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd and Damian Trujillo contributed to this report.
