Former Teacher Gets Prison For Sex Abuse Involving Third Grader

Portland, Or. –  A  former substitute teacher has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for sexually abusing a third grade student back in 2008. The victim did not report the incident involving 54 year old Dale Buckendahl for four years. The victim, who is now a young woman, later filed suit against the Reynolds School District because he was still allowed to be alone with a student.

The victim claimed Buckendahl put his hands up her skirt and touched her inner thigh and vaginal area. A jury found him guilty of sex abuse, but found him not guilty on the claim of vaginal area touching.

She addressed Buckendahl at his sentencing and said “this event consumed my life. I was never able to feel like a normal child again. I wasn’t able to have the typical experiences in school anymore because school to me was never about my education from that day on but instead about survival.”