A group of parents is suing a private school in Fort Worth over multiple reports of alleged sexual abuse by a former teacher, which the parents claim the school covered up for years.

Multiple families claim the school's neglect allowed more than a dozen young girls to allegedly be abused by piano teacher Trent Muse at Trinity Valley School.

According to the lawsuit, filed on March 25, the incidents of sexual abuse incidents happened over eight months during the 2022-2023 school year with 16 young girls ranging in age from 6 to 11 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.

"It's just really shocking at how much the school lacked in transparency here and, in fact, took steps to make sure things weren't uncovered," said Natalie Arbaugh, an attorney with Winston & Strawn representing multiple families. "In a way, there was this cancer that the school knew about in these young children. But the school didn't tell the parents about it."

"It's everything from exposing himself to pleasuring himself in front of the girls to having the girls touch him," Arbaugh said. "In one instance, a girl fought him, to try to get away from him."

According to the lawsuit, Muse was fired in April 2023. It states the school told parents that Muse left for personal reasons and "encouraged families to continue lessons with Muse off campus," and that there was "no cause for concern" in regard to Muse's departure.

Court documents show Muse was arrested in June 2024 and faces at least five counts of indecency with a child.

"There were girls being dragged into class crying," Arbaugh said. "The school, you know, should have known, and it just makes more obvious the fact that they didn't have the right protocols in place for handling this."

Trinity Valley School wrote in a statement: 

"Since the arrest of former piano teacher Trent Muse last year, Trinity Valley School has remained steadfast in its commitment to supporting our students and families and seeking answers as best we can. After the school received a report of an incident involving Mr. Muse in April 2023, he was promptly terminated from his position and a report was made to Child Protective Services. Upon learning of his June 2024 arrest, we immediately initiated a third-party investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding Mr. Muse's termination and the school's actions related to his departure.Out of respect for the privacy of those involved and due to ongoing legal proceedings, we are limited in what we can share publicly. However, we will continue to navigate this process with the compassion, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness our community deserves."

Arbaugh said there could be more victims and more allegations. She said the families are coming forward now because they haven't gotten answers from Trinity Valley School, and now want it held accountable so their daughters can heal.

"You can't fully fix what has happened," Arbaugh said. "But, at a minimum, they're going to need ongoing care for their recovery and what they've gone through and what they will continue to go through as a result of this. So, that's really what the parents are looking for."