A former Woodside High School student is suing the Sequoia Union High School District and a volleyball club, claiming they failed to protect her against a coach who has been charged with sexual assault.
Thomas Feng, a 26-year-old resident of Fremont, was employed by the district as a volleyball coach for several years, going back to at least the 2021-2022 school year.
During his time as a coach at Woodside High, he allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a student that started when she was 15 years old. Feng allegedly used his position of authority to groom the student and sexually assault her on school grounds and at school events, according to the suit.
The lawsuit states that both the school district and the Academy of Volleyball, a club, knew of Feng’s misconduct but failed to notify law enforcement.
In one instance, the lawsuit claims an anonymous complaint was made to Woodside High administration regarding Feng and Doe’s inappropriate relationship. The vice principals, school nurse, and athletic director called Doe into a meeting wherein they dismissed the complaint as a rumor. No further actions were taken to protect Doe or to increase supervision or terminate Feng even though a second anonymous complaint was made and also dismissed, the lawsuit states.
Feng’s behaviors were also of concern to the Academy of Volleyball, a club that provides training and help getting into college. In one instance, the director and other Academy employees members spoke to Feng about respecting coach-player boundaries but failed to repudiate Feng’s predatory behavior and failed to report inappropriate behaviors to the authorities for proper investigation, the lawsuit states.
It finally took Doe filing a police report with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office last year for an investigation to commence. Feng was arrested on Feb. 26.
Feng will be arraigned in the case later this month, according to court records.
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We take statements like this very seriously. After reviewing our records, we have no record of receiving the email described, and the name referenced is not accurate.
Because of the seriousness of these allegations, we are addressing this matter through the appropriate channels. Academy Volleyball remains fully committed to athlete safety and to maintaining a professional and accountable environment.
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Sounds like some people could have the grounds to bring an action against Academy Volleyball as well.
We follow strict procedures when concerns are raised and act based on the information available at the time.
We cannot discuss individual personnel matters publicly.
Athlete safety remains our top priority.
As a parent, this story makes me very sad and uneasy. My child attended both Academy volleyball clinic and Woodside high school. The accused man will have his day in court, and if proving guilty, I hope people are held responsible. Our Kiddos are precious and need to be protected by all.