The Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office has completed an initial review of allegations that a former Sunrise Christian Academy teacher groomed and sexually abused an 8-year-old student. No charges have been filed.

A spokeswoman for the DA's office confirmed the review was completed Aug. 28, one day after the child's family filed a civil lawsuit in Sedgwick County court, as first reported by the Wichita Eagle. The investigation remains under review as of Sept. 23, according to KWCH.

The civil petition, filed Aug. 27, seeks $250,000 in damages against the Bel Aire school and the former teacher, KAKE reports. It alleges the teacher used his position during the 2025-2026 school year to isolate the girl, arrange time alone with her and propose private meetings outside school. The petition describes alleged grooming that included proposing to read to the child alone in her bedroom and suggesting he and the child block a treehouse entrance for privacy.

The petition also alleges the child was sexually abused on one or more occasions, including an incident in December 2025 during a P.E. class. Someone photographed that incident and provided the image to school administrators, who then conducted no meaningful investigation, according to the petition.

The family reported the alleged abuse to the Bel Aire Police Department, which referred the case to the Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit. Investigators with that unit said the child exhibited behaviors consistent with having been groomed and sexually abused, according to the petition.

The petition alleges Sunrise Christian Academy failed to report the suspected abuse to the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). Under Kansas law, teachers and school employees are mandatory reporters. Willful failure to report is a class B misdemeanor.

The lawsuit also alleges the school had previously received reports of suspected abuse and misconduct by employees and students and repeatedly failed to investigate or take action.

Sunrise Christian Academy, a K-12 school in Bel Aire with more than 500 students, sent a statement to families acknowledging the lawsuit. The school said it is working with legal counsel and directed families with questions to High School Principal and Associate Superintendent Dr. Sam Morris.

The former teacher also worked as an independent contractor providing P.E. instruction to other schools in the Wichita area, the Derby Informer reported Sept. 25. Derby's OLA, which had contracted with him for about three years, suspended its relationship with him after news of the lawsuit broke. Dave Atherton, lead pastor of OneChurch at Pleasantview, which houses OLA, told the Derby Informer that the school revoked the teacher's access to students and facilities.

"We sent a letter to our families [Tuesday] that we suspended our relationship with him … and encouraged them to have an appropriate conversation with their kids," Atherton told the Derby Informer on Sept. 25.

OLA said the allegations do not involve its school or students. The Wichita Eagle reported that the former teacher did not respond to requests for comment.

The child's mother has requested a jury trial. KAKE reports a scheduling conference set for 9 a.m. Oct. 28, 2026, in courtroom 9-4 at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.