Former students sue CVUSD, PSUSD over alleged prior knowledge of bus driver’s sexual abuse claims years before arrest

Two former students have filed a lawsuit against the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs Unified school districts over allegedly having prior knowledge of sexual abuse claims against a school bus driver who was later arrested for molesting students.

The bus driver, Jose Luis Moncada, 65, was arrested in the parking lot of CVUSD's Transportation Department on February 28, 2020 following accusations of molesting three girls under 14 years old while on the job a decade ago.

Moncada was later charged with eight counts of committing lewd acts with a child under 14 years old, along with sentence-enhancing allegations of multiple victims. John Hall, spokesperson for the district attorney's office, said Moncada could face a life sentence if convicted because the crimes allegedly involved multiple victims.

Moncada pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In the lawsuit, filed on May 5, 2021, two of the victims, now adults, say they were sexually abused by Moncada while he was employed by CVUSD in 2010.

Court documents also show that in 2004 while Moncada was a bus driver for PSUSD, he molested a third student, who was 7-years-old at the time. The student's parents reported the inappropriate touching to PSUSD. Despite the report, CVUSD hired Moncada as a bus driver in 2005.

The suit alleges that either PSUSD failed to disclose Moncada's misconduct and instead gave him a favorable recommendation to "rid itself of a problematic employee" or CVUSD did not conduct a proper background and reference check on him by contacting PSUSD before hiring him.

The plantiffs would go on to ride on Moncada's bus to and from their school, Oasis Elementary School, in 2010. The students said that Moncada offered them money, candy, and toys if they would help him clean the bus before going home. He sexually abused both girls almost daily for two to three weeks, according to court documents.

One of the girls eventually reported the abuse to her parents. Court documents show that the parents reported the inappropriate touching to the school's principal and CVUSD, however, the district did not inform law enforcement, and instead simply changed Moncada's bus route.

A few years later, the girl, now in middle school, said she learned that Moncada was still employed by the district and was so disturbed she left the district and was home schooled.

The second girl said she learned that Moncada was still employed by CVUSD while she was attending high school. She reported the abuse to her school counserlor, who then got law enforcement involved. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation that led to Moncada's arrested in 2020.

Following Moncada's arrest, then-CVUSD superintendent Dr. Maria Gandera told News Channel 3 that "The district was unaware of any allegations before October 2019."

The two plantiffs are seeking damages for sexual abuse of a minor, fraud (Intentional Misrepresentation), negligent hiring, supervision and retention of an unfit employee, and failure to report child abuse, and other charges.

Moncada is currently out on bail with an ankle monitor. He made another court appearance on Wednesday and is scheduled to return to court of June 18.

Earlier this year, I-Team investigator Jeff Stahl uncovered details about another lawsuit against PSUSD and the busing company it contracts with to drive students to and from its campuses for child sexual abuse by a different driver.