A recently released audit reports that the state agency did not investigate teachers who were accused of sexual harassment in Los Angeles in a timely manner. Such teacher were accused of kissing a student, sexual harassment or showing pornography to children, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state agency that did not investigate these accused teachers is in charge of revoking education credentials.
Nearly 13,000 cases, from the summer of 2009, were backlogged by the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The California state auditor located nearly three years' worth of these cases, concluding the commission didn't keep track of data and was often slow to looking into the allegations.
A Los Angeles sexual harassment attorney should be contacted immediately if you're facing sexual harassment charges. Case law from the Los Angeles Superior Court, the California Courts of Appeal and the California Supreme Court make arguing sexual harassment and the applicability of Sexual Harassment Laws a complex process.
The audit shows that changes must be made said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).
"These conditions appear to have resulted in delayed processing of alleged misconduct and potentially allowed educators of questionable character to retain a credential," wrote Elaine M. Howle, the state auditor, in a letter to the lawmakers.
The commission is made up of more than 30 full-time staffers including six investigators and is overseen by an appointed board. The board voted to revoke the credentials of 306 teachers and administrators last year.
Auditors of the commission found that commission employees moved too slow and also noted that it took the commission more than two months before reviewing 11 of the nearly 30 cases that the auditors examined.
In one specific case that they audited, a teacher was accused of kissing a student back in 2007. The commission didn't contact the school district until 2009. In a separate incident, the commission learned a teacher was accused of showing a middle school student pornography in 2008, but didn't request police documents until two years later, in 2010. By the time this second incident was brought to light, the principal who initially reported the incident had retired and the student who allegedly saw the photographs could not recall the details.
One of the explanations from the commission for taking such time to investigate is that they're required to wait until local law enforcement and schools districts finish their investigations before they can proceed with theirs.
The audit suggested that the commission update their database and provide more thorough training to ensure that proper information is collected and is easy to retrieve. They're also urged to study their workload to determine if more employees are needed for effective function.
"We're taking the recommendations very seriously," said Marilyn Errett, a commission spokeswoman.
Since the audit, the commission has started entering arrest data electronically.
Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyers understand the severity behind such allegations and urge you to contact an attorney before making a statement with officials. Often, defendants are likely to make incriminating statements in the absence of an experienced lawyer. You are urged not to settle for a quick plea bargain -- which will never eliminate the cloud of suspicion and could have consequences like sex-offender registration. Being forced to register as a sex offender could follow you for life.
The slipshod methods revealed by this audit, also call into question the quality of those investigations that were conducted -- yanking a teacher's credentials can have life-long consequences. Teachers need to stand up for their rights at the earliest stages of such investigations.
If you need to speak to a sexual harassment in Orange County, contact the California Legal Team at (310) 497-0321 to discuss your rights.
