WHEELING — A West Virginia man says his middle school teacher sexually abused him for years, gave birth to his children and threatened to take them away if he left her.
The Intelligencer reports 28-year-old Christopher Birch is suing former Bridge Street Middle School science teacher and track coach, Elizabeth Harbert, in an effort to end their relationship but keep contact with his children.
The lawsuit filed Thursday says Harbert began grooming Birch when he was 13 by caring for him and allowing him to move in with her and her husband. It says Harbert later divorced her husband and became pregnant with Birch’s first child.
The lawsuit says the school’s principal and other area leaders knew of his abuse and did nothing. Harbert and other defendants declined or didn’t return requests for comment.
