Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled against parents seeking personnel records of a teacher accused of violating the school district's sexual harassment policy and of having an inappropriate relationship with a female student.

Our Pasadena sexual harassment attorneys and criminal defense lawyers are frequently called to deal with allegations of misconduct involving a school employee, or that which occurs on school grounds. These cases can be among the most sensitive a law firm can handle.

A teacher or other employee who is accused of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct at school deserves the benefit of the doubt -- the same as anyone accused of wrongdoing. However, a rush to judgment too often leaves a teacher or school employee with a ruined reputation, and without a job, regardless of the outcome of the investigation or civil or criminal court proceeds.

In this case, a parent with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District filed a public records request seeking to learn more about an investigation into the alleged misconduct of a math teacher, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Some 140 people also signed a petition indicating they disapproved of the district's handling of the investigation (this, while knowing few of the facts). The district was going to fulfill the request and the teacher was forced to legally fight the release of his personnel file.

A district letter indicates the teacher was placed on leave in December 2008 for violating the district's sexual harassment policy. He was placed on leave the following year for allegedly having inappropriate contact with students via Facebook.

The superintendent has refused to comment. The district's policy on sexual harassment covers everything from jokes to unwanted sexual contact and advances. The teacher said release of his personnel file could discourage district personnel from cooperating with future internal investigations.