Johnson County Catholic school teacher filmed student changing into choir robes: lawsuit
Parents of a student at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park have filed a lawsuit alleging their daughter was secretly filmed while undressing in the private office of a schoolteacher who is currently facing criminal charges.
The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, claims choir teacher Joseph Heidesch secretly placed video cameras in his office where students would regularly change into robes for choir practice. It also alleges that Heidesch, 46, required the office be used as a changing space and provided a false sense of security to students by saying there was a special lock on the door to maintain privacy.
A criminal defense attorney representing Heidesch did not immediately reply to The Star’s request for comment Wednesday evening. A spokesman for St. Thomas Aquinas declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.
The allegations against Heidesch, a teacher at the Catholic high school for 22 years, first came to light when he was arrested in October. He now faces six felonies for allegedly possessing sexually explicit visuals of a child and secretly videotaping a minor who should have reasonably expected privacy.
Details of the allegations have largely remained shielded from public view since Heidesch’s arrest. A Johnson County judge ruled in October 2021 that an affidavit outlining the probable cause for the criminal charges should remain under seal.
Identities of the plaintiffs are not disclosed in the court record. The alleged victim is referred to as Daughter Doe #1, a student at the school since August 2018 and a member of the school choir. The other plaintiffs are John Doe#1 and Jane Doe #1, her parents.
In the civil lawsuit, the family alleges Daughter Doe #1 is one victim filmed by Heidesch on cameras that he placed in his private office and in other parts of the school. Fourteen videos of her were kept in an electronic file on his computer where she was filmed in “various stages of undress,” according to the complaint.
Citing information gathered by law enforcement, the lawsuit alleges videos with sexually explicit material were put in computer files with female students’ names on them. It also says some of videos may have been made available over the internet, though the family does not know whether that occurred in the case of Daughter Doe #1.
St. Thomas Aquinas and its school leaders are accused of ignoring common warning signs of “grooming behavior by child sexual predators.” For example, the lawsuit alleges school officials were aware that Heidesch communicated with students on their personal cell phones and instructed them to change clothes in his private office.
The lawsuit contends the high school was negligent and allowed an environment that led to severe emotional distress for the family. In addition to damages and legal fees, the family is seeking a refund of $44,000 in tuition paid to the school.
Heidesch is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Johnson County jail. He is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in July.
