Another LAUSD Student May Have Been Victim of Sexual Misconduct

March 12, 2013

By Mia Taylor

SAN DIEGO – Yet another student in the Los Angeles Unified School District appears to have been the victim of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teacher.

News reports today say that a female teacher at Garden Gove Elementary School has been placed on administrative leave while a police investigation is conducted. The teacher’s name is not being made public.

According to reports, the relationship with the student, a sixth grade boy, took place during the past four months. Police did not provide any additional information.

This is not the latest incident involving alleged inappropriate conduct on the part of an LAUSD teacher.

Last year, LAUSD teacher Paul Chapel, 51, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting 13 of his students.

“A school district’s number one priority is to keep our children safe,” said San Diego Attorney Steve Estey, of Estey Bomberger – one of the leading law firms in the nation representing sexual abuse victims.  In 2010, Estey obtained a $30 million jury verdict for a victim of sexual abuse in California, which is believed to be the largest single-plaintiff verdict for a victim of sexual abuse.

“A district must properly screen, supervise and monitor the teachers,” Estey continued.  “Children are taught to trust their teachers and when a district allows a teacher to violate this trust it is tremendously traumatic for a child.”

In the Chapel case, he pleaded no contest to committing lewd acts against seven girls and six boys. Prosecutors dropped 15 additional counts that could have sent Chapel to prison for life.

Just last month the school district announced that it was creating a special team to investigate any allegations of sexual abuse.  School district Superintendent John Deasy had said he planned to hire investigators with a background in law enforcement and also education law to supervise cases involving teachers or other campus employees accused of sexual misconduct.

Sexual abuse and molestation of children is a growing problem in San Diego and nationwide. Every year hundreds of thousands of children are sexually abused, resulting in serious emotional trauma that can last a lifetime.

Estey Bomberger has successfully handled civil claims against numerous organizations and agencies, hospitals and schools.