A Florida School district maintained that 4 third-grade girls were responsible for allowing their teacher to sexually abuse them in the classroom, more than a decade ago.

The Palm Beach County School District said, the four students were “old enough to appreciate the consequences of their actions” and “conducted themselves in a careless and negligent manner,” in court documents cited by the Sun Sentinel . The student’s family filed in response to a 2006 civil suit concluded the administration should not be held responsible in the incident.

Florida school district is set to pay $3.6 million to settle the 12-year-old lawsuit, according to Sun Sentinel.

Blake Sinrod, 46, a Coral Sunset Elementary School teacher is accused of fondling the girls in their classroom back in 2005.

Local authorities began to investigate the matter after one of the girls told her mother Sinrod had touched her privates during reading group and also made her touched her genitals through his pants. The three other girls told similar stories.

Sinrod has been fired since the incident and pleaded guilty to child abuse charges involving two of the Coral Sunset Elementary students in may of 2017, Sinrod’s teaching license has also been revoked since 2008.

Marc Wites, the attorney of the four girls said, “the school board is expected to approve the $3.6 million settlement on October 18, 2017.”

Frank Barbieri, school board member told the Orlando Sentinel “I don’t think a child can ever consent to being sexually abused,”.