Former Wellsville school student files suit against school district over alleged rape by employee

Joanne Schoonmaker speaks to the media
in NYC about alleged sexual assault by Wellsville
School janitor

A lawsuit was filed Wednesday afternoon against the Wellsville Central School District after a former student claims she was raped by a janitor over several years. During a news conference in New York City Wednesday, Joanne Schoonmaker, now 51, says she was raped in 1980 when she was twelve years old. Schoonmaker said "I was raped by an employee of the Wellsville Secondary School when I was twelve years old. I told the principal...if had believed me and protected me, I would not be here today telling this horrific story." It is alleged that Ms. Schoonmaker reported Wade’s sexual assaults and threats to the Principal, Joseph Backus, also named as a defendant, when she was in the eighth grade. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Backus  told Ms. Schoonmaker to “stay away from him (Wade)” but did not report him to the police or discipline him in any way.
The New York Child Victims Act was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo February 14, 2019. It opens up a one-year window to allow all victims access to the courts regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. That one year period began today.
Schoonmaker said she was raped by then janitor Robert Alexander Wade. She said she was in 7th grade at the time.
During the press conference she said Wade allegedly asked "if I was a virgin and was I ready for this." Schoonmaker said " no...and I cried for my mother."
She added that the former janitor threatened to "kill you, your older brothers...I will kill your entire family..."if you ever tell." Schoonmaker alleges the sexual assaults occurred in the mans van, Island Park, a local recreational business and other places. She said she was also raped by a second school district employee. She did not name that person.
She claims she told school officials and said no action was ever taken. The alleged attacks ended in 1982.
Schoonover dropped out of school. After years passed, she relocated to Cheektowaga, to discover, she said, that Wade lived just seven miles away. After some investigation, she discovered he was a registered sex offender for allegedly assaulting another victim. Wade was subsequently convicted of third-degree rape of another woman and served 4 years in prison between 2002 and 2006. In 2007 Ms. Schoonmaker reported her own abuse by Wade to the police and was told that they could not act because the statute of limitation had lapsed.
The Wellsville School District had no comment.