Entire Los Angeles Elementary School Staff Removed Amid Molestation Charges
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Creatas Images/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Amid allegations that two of its teachers committed lewd acts on students, a Los Angeles elementary school will be wiped clean of all of its staff while investigations into the accusations continue.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy made the announcement Monday night while meeting with parents. He said everyone from the principal to the janitors at Miramonte Elementary School will be removed and replaced. The new staff is scheduled to take over on Thursday when classes resume.
“I can’t have any more surprises at Miramonte, even though the police will do what they have to do. And if there are no more, thank God. We deal with the horror and the tragedy I have already. And if there are more, then we will have to deal with that,” Deasy said.
Last week, third grade teacher Mark Berndt was arrested for allegedly abusing 23 students, ages 7 to 10, between 2008 and 2010. According to officials, the 61-year-old blindfolded and sometimes gagged children, spoon-feeding some of them his semen and placing live cockroaches on the faces of others.
Berndt, who’s being held on $23 million bail, was busted when a worker at a film processing outlet turned over photos of the alleged abuse to police.
A few days after Berndt’s arrest, another teacher at Miramonte was placed behind bars for molesting some of his students. Martin Springer, 49, is accused of fondling two girls over the past three years.
“I am outraged, disgusted,” Deasy said, referring to the allegations.
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