CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. – The Chappaqua Central School District is blaming three students who claim to have been sexually abused by their teacher, alleging their injuries “were caused or contributed to by reason of (their) carelessness, recklessness, negligence and/or assumption of the risk.”

Former Horace Greeley High School drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel is accused of sexually assaulting three minors, as well as plying his students with drugs and alcohol and being intoxicated on the job.

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Schraufnagel was charged with sex crimes nine months ago and prosecutors are currently preparing to present their case to a grand jury, LoHud.com reports.

Police allege Schraufnagel, 42, sexually abused several 15-year-old male students between 2011 and 2015. Three of his alleged victims and some of their parents filed a lawsuit against the Chappaqua Central School District in May, and a fourth student asked the court to join the lawsuit on Friday.

The fourth student alleged in court papers that Schraufnagel “was drinking alcohol and intoxicated during teaching hours” and asked him “to engage in various sex acts,” including “to perform oral sex on him,” according to the news site.

That student also contends Schraufnagel requested a photo of his genitals. Students in the initial lawsuit claim their teacher “engaged in sexual acts” with students and forced them to play sex games called “Train Wreck” and “Sick Secret Santa,” LoHud reports.

The students’ lawsuit against the school district contends that school officials failed to take actions to prevent the abuse, failed to uncover Schraufnagel’s relevant criminal history, and did not properly respond to the allegations, according to Law Newz.

The district’s response to the complaint is “a textbook example of simply throwing dreck against the wall and hoping something sticks,” the students’ attorney, David Engelsher, wrote in court papers.

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“That if the plaintiffs were caused to sustain injuries and damages at the times and places and in the manner alleged in the complaint, said injuries and damages were caused or contributed to by reason of the carelessness, recklessness, negligence and/or assumption of the risk, both implied and expressed, of the plaintiffs, and if the plaintiffs recover against this answering defendant, the amount of damages shall be diminished in proportion to the culpable conduct attributable to the plaintiffs,” district attorneys wrote.

In other words, if the students were given drugs and alcohol by their teacher, who then sexually molested them, the students should have known better and are partially at fault.

Law Newz explained why the district is using the blame-the-victims defense to escape responsibility for its role in Schraufnagel’s alleged crimes.

“Unfortunately for the students, New York courts don’t allow children to succeed in civil claims of sexual abuse based on age alone. While a young age protects them in the criminal justice system by punishing the offender, the civil courts don’t award the victims based solely on their age,” according to the legal news site.

“Cases like 2012’s Romero v. City of N.Y., cite a long history rulings that hold that underage accusers have to show that there was force or intent by the offender to pressure the child or make them afraid.”