Redlands Unified School District, a district in San Bernardino County, paid millions to victims after several Redlands area high school teachers were found guilty of having sexual relations with students.
An AP English teacher at Citrus Valley High School was found guilty of molesting a student and eventually gave birth to that student’s child. Another educator at Redlands High School coerced a student into sending him nude photos and engaged in sexual relations several times, including in the classroom. Both teachers plead guilty to molesting other students as well.
Both students claimed that school officials and employees were aware of the misconduct, but failed to report the abuse to the authorities as they are required to do by state law. The victims also said the district did not do enough to prevent the abuse.
Moreover, five other students say they were sexually abused by predatory teachers and filed lawsuits against the district.
Overall, the Redlands Unified School District paid out more than $30 million to settle lawsuits for sexual misconduct by school employees between 2016 and 2018.
Investigations by the Southern California News Group and the Voice of San Diego have found that school culture, cover-ups by school officials and administrators, and systemic issues are preventing abuse from being quickly noticed and reported. This has prompted new district policies to be put in place regarding communication with students.
Unfortunately, what happened in Redlands isn’t unique. Few districts in San Diego have policies that establish appropriate boundaries between students and teachers.
After the settlements in Redlands, the district clearly defined appropriate electronic communications between teachers and students and what happens if the policy is violated. Staff is not to follow, befriend students, accept friend requests on social media, or communicate via social media with students. The staff is also not to contact students outside of school via phone, letter, or text unless an adult, such as a parent or school principal, is involved in the communication.
The policy encourages employees not to be left alone with students without proper supervision.
These policies will help school officials and staff to recognize the signs of a predatory teacher. Several of the students involved in the cases claimed the district didn’t seem to acknowledge the friendly relationships between educators and students early on and could have prevented it from leading to sexual relations.
If an employee is found to have violated the policy, they will be subjected to disciplinary action such as dismissal, and may be reported to the state teacher credentialing agency. Those who are made of aware of inappropriate conduct, fail to report it, or retaliates against those who do report will also be subject to discipline.
