A Salina military school is being sued by parents of cadets who say their sons were regularly abused by older students with the blessing of school officials.

The Salina Journal reports the federal lawsuit was filed against St. John’s Military School last week in Kansas City, Kan. It claims the school allows older students, called “Disciplinarians,” to discipline younger students who step out of line.

The parents of 4 boys claim their sons suffered severe beatings by the Disciplinarians, and when the boys reported the abuse to school officials, the beatings got worse.

School President Andy England says he was meeting with legal counsel and the school was doing “due diligence” before responding to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims the school has settled nine similar abuse cases since 2006.