New policy will be aired at June 5 Board of Education meeting.
By Vicky Shere / Special to the Malibu Times
Seeking to quell a firestorm of criticism from parents about student molestation accusations reported by school administrators, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials announced last Thursday the formation of an advisory committee that will review existing child abuse policy.
The news, part of a 12-point-plan to ensure student safety, comes more than a week after district officials revealed that they were unaware of sexual abuse allegations in 2006 against Lincoln Middle School teacher Thomas Arthur Beltran, 60, who was arrested earlier this month on child molestation charges.
Lincoln’s former principal contacted the Santa Monica Police Department about a student’s allegations against Beltran, who taught at the school for 20 years, but they were never reported to district leadership, district officials say, which led to parents’ demands for changes on child abuse reporting.
California law requires that a report of sexual abuse received by a school administrator be referred to a county welfare department or police or sheriff department. The law does not state that district leadership should be notified.
The eight-member committee, comprised of parents, teachers and school officials, will assist district staff in revising and updating child abuse policy, including reporting procedures, said Superintendent Dianne Talarico during last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.
The district will review all policies related to student safety, and a revised child abuse policy is scheduled for the June 5 Board of Education meeting, Talarico said.
The district has already instituted several changes, including a mandate to remove anything obstructing the view into classrooms.
“We’re taking immediate steps to examine processes, procedures and practices regarding the way the district has taken, reported and handled complaints of child abuse,” Talarico said.
Among those steps is principal training on how to report and communicate incidents to the district office. A new incident reporting form has been created, Talarico said.
Educational outreach efforts are planned for parents, including training for immigrant families through the English Learner Advisory Committee and workshops by child safety expert Pattie Fitzgerald.
Secondary schools in the district will continue the curriculum on sexual abuse drafted by the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica.
In response to comments by Santa Monica resident Jennifer Kennedy, Mike Matthews, assistant superintendent for human resources, said current policy already addresses sexual harassment.
There are two areas of sexual harassment, one between employees and others involving students, Matthews noted.
Staff is required to go through annual two-hour training on sexual harassment, how to recognize it and how to report it, Matthews said.
“If it occurs, you need to report it,” he said. “Students should feel free from sexual harassment from anybody, whether it is a fellow student, outside visitors or employee.”
A 30-year veteran of the school district who taught English as a second language at Lincoln, Beltran was arrested on May 3, a day after Santa Monica Police detectives interviewed a 12-year-old student who claimed she was sexually abused.
On May 6 Beltran was charged with 14 counts of sexually molesting five female students, including eight counts of lewd act on a child, three counts of continuous sexual abuse and three counts of sexual penetration of a foreign object on a child under 14.
He remains in jail in lieu of $3.3 million bail.
Several days later, the Santa Monica Police Department notified the district about the earlier investigation, sending officials a copy of a March 15, 2006 letter written by then principal Kathy Scott to Detective Lloyd Gladden of the Santa Monica Police Department about the sexual abuse claims.
Both Scott and then Superintendent John Deasy are no longer with the district.
According to the district’s May 7 press release, which included Scott’s letter, law enforcement authorities told the district that Beltran was investigated but there was not enough evidence then to charge him of any crime.
On May 8 the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said police were questioning at least five additional possible victims and that the alleged abuse occurred possibly as far back as 1998.
The school board decided last Thursday to place Beltran on compulsory leave without pay.
Lincoln parent Michael Chwe has created a Web site of documents and statements in the Beltran case, http://lincolncommunity.googlepages.com