Three Avon Public School teachers and an Avon High School and Wellesley College in Massachusetts guidance counselor are being sued by a Connecticut couple for allegedly indoctrinating their three daughters into a religious cult, the Associated Press reported.
Filing the lawsuit in federal court on Monday, the 64-page suit claims the two older daughters were indoctrinated into a religious cult that promoted martyrdom and celebrated death.
Even after two of the girls reportedly went to Wellesley, the indoctrination by the teachers continued.
The parents have been identified as Jane and John Doe, according to NECN.
The daughters, aged 22 and 19, became reclusive and secretive, started speaking in a bizarre new language and had fantasies of "suicidal ideation and martyrdom," according to the suit, filed in the federal court in Hartford.
Frequent visits to a desolate Alumni Hall in Wellesley College witnessed the older daughter and other girls dance, sing and perform "'whirling dervishes', -- religious dances - until the wee hours of the morning.'"
After the same teachers were appointed to the middle daughter, her mother described her as transforming into a testy and disrespectful child, according to the suit.
The younger daughter was targeted to be indoctrinated as well, but eventually broke free from the influence of the teachers, according to the suit.
NBC Connecticut reached out to Avon Public Schools and they responded by e-mail.
"The district administration is in receipt of the complaint filed recently in federal court and is reviewing it at this time. No communications regarding that which is alleged in the complaint have been received in the past," a statement from Supt. Gary Mala said. "We will continue to review the content of the complaint and have turned the matter over to our school district legal counsel."
NBC Connecticut reached out to the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the family, but he has not returned calls.
