PITTSBURGH — Seneca Valley School District has denied all accusations in a federal lawsuit that claims school officials knew about alleged sexual abuse going on in the Junior ROTC program.

The lawsuit was filed in February by the family of a student who claims he was sexually molested by instructor Kevin Johnson for 15 months before dropping out of the JROTC program in July 2007.

The suit was filed against Johnson and the school district, as the student claims the district had knowledge of Johnson’s actions and failed to act on them.

The school district, in its response to the lawsuit, repeatedly claimed district officials did not know about the situation until Jan. 10, 2008.

Johnson in February 2008 was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, indecent exposure, making terroristic threats, intimidation of a witness and stalking among other charges. He is awaiting trial.

He was removed and barred from the school campus at that time and dismissed by the district in September.

In February, Johnson denied all allegations against him.

The lawsuit claims the student, who was a 15-year-old sophomore when the alleged abuse occurred, told a high-school guidance counselor of the abuse during a meeting. The suit claims the counselor “failed to report the conduct or ask further questions.” The scenario is denied in Seneca Valley’s answer to the suit.

The lawsuit claims that Seneca Valley’s knowledge of the sexual abuse by Johnson was “so pervasive and ongoing as to constitute a well-settled practice and custom of Seneca Valley School District.”

“Seneca Valley School District adopted and maintained a practice, custom and policy of deliberate or reckless indifference to instances of known or reasonably suspected sexual molestation of plaintiff and other students,” the lawsuit claims.

The district denied those and all allegations that school officials had knowledge of sexual abuse or turned a blind eye to it. The district’s attorneys say in the response they will demand strict proof of the allegations at trial.

The suit seeks an undetermined amount of money for battery and assault from Johnson and other monetary damages from both Johnson and the district for the student’s pain, suffering, emotional distress and humiliation.