The parents of a former 16-year-old Bainbridge High student who had a sexual relationship with his science teacher have filed a $5 million claim against the Bainbridge Island School District.

Isaac Ruiz, an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Keller Rohrback, filed a claim with the school district less than a month after Jessica Marie Fuchs, a first-year biology teacher at BHS, pled guilty to charges of felony first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and tampering with a witness, and the gross misdemeanor of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

The teen’s parents became suspicious of Fuchs early last year, and school authorities eventually discovered Fuchs had a sexual relationship with the student, then tried to cover up the relationship after police learned about it in February 2015.

Fuchs, 27, was sentenced earlier this year in Kitsap County Superior Court to eight months in jail. She is currently incarcerated in the Kitsap County Jail.

Ruiz, the attorney for the victim’s family, could not be reached for comment.

The victim is no longer a student at BHS, and the family moved from Washington state not long after the case made headlines.

A damage claim is a preliminary step before a lawsuit can be filed, as it gives both sides an opportunity to enter settlement talks and avoid resolving the matter in court.

The claim alleging damage from the Fuchs case was filed with the school district near the end of January.

In addition to the standard claim form, the attorney for the victim’s family also filed a copy of Fuch’s arrest warrant, documents from the criminal court case, a sexual assault protection order that the family sought to keep Fuchs away from their son, and more than 80 pages of the student’s medical records.

The $5 million claim is under review by the insurance carrier for the school district, said Peter Bang-Knudsen, assistant superintendent for administrative services.

“We’ve shared it with Washington Schools Risk Management Pool, which is our insurance carrier for the district,” he said.

As the claim would likely be part of litigation facing the district, Bang-Knudsen said he could not speak in detail about the case.

Still, the district’s assessment of the case has not changed from the time it was discovered, he said.

“There’s a deep sadness for the student that was involved and the family …an incredibly sad situation, and incredibly regretful that it occurred.”

“It was truly unbelievable that any employee would do something like that,” he said. “It’s just a sad situation all around.”