Rotten Apples: Teacher Arrests in California on the Rise

15Nov
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

I recently wrote a piece titled, “Passing the Trash…”, in October.  When I wrote the article, I signed up for google alerts with the term “Teacher Arrested” to get updates on teachers that get arrested for sexually abusing our kids in our schools.  And all I can say is, “wow”!

We have really got to do something about predators who become teachers. First of all, the minute I created the alert, I got an update. These are stories from all over the country, I then go in and filter the ones in California. I get updates every day, with several stories from around the country… every day! This is a widespread and ongoing problem. Last week, in Riverside County and San Bernardino County, we had two teachers arrested for sexually abusing children in two local districts.   

Temescal Canyon High School and Redlands High School both reported arrests based on sexual abuse. Temescal Canyon HS is in Riverside County while Redlands HS is in San Bernardino County, both considered the Inland Empire. And then, of course, there are other arrests (within the last month) for things like arson in the classroom (also in Redlands at Redlands East Valley HS), and one teacher fighting with a student at Maywood Academy HS in Maywood, California near Los Angeles.   

What in the world are we allowing our kids to be exposed to? Local residents are asking whether students in Redlands Unified are safe.  Are they?  We need to find a more effective way to vet teachers before they are allowed in the classroom.  

For now, I wanted to share the following link for anyone that wants to report teacher misconduct of any kind.

Report Bad Teachers Here!

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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