District offers education on sexual abuse
SMMUSD HDQTRS Responding to calls for changes in the way accusations of student molestation are reported by school administrators,officials with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced Thursday the formation of an advisory committee that will review the existing child abuse policy.
The news comes more than a week after it was revealed that district officials were in the dark about sexual abuse allegations in 2006 against Lincoln Middle School teacher Thomas Beltran, who was arrested earlier this month on child molestation charges.
The allegations were investigated by the former principal but were never reported to district leadership, a lack of communication that has been criticized by parents.
The committee — comprised of parents, teachers and school officials — will assist district staff as they begin revising and updating the policies regarding child abuse, including reporting procedures.
Superintendent Dianne Talarico said during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting that three Lincoln parents have already volunteered for the committee.
The district has already instituted several changes, most notably a mandate that teachers remove any visual obstructions from classroom windows.
“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. Talarico added that a new incident reporting form has been created.
Several educational outreach efforts are planned for parents, including training for immigrant families through the English Learner Advisory Committee and a series of workshops by child safety expert and Santa Monica resident, Pattie Fitzgerald.
Secondary schools in the district are also in the process of adopting a curriculum on sexual abuse drafted by the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica, which provided training at Lincoln Middle School last week.
The new policies could also address sexual harassment.
Jennifer Kennedy, a Santa Monica resident, urged school officials not to forget the seriousness of sexual harassment when training is provided to teachers and administrators about child abuse.
“Leave no stone unturned,” she said during the school board meeting.
Mike Matthews, the assistant superintendent of human resources, said that all supervisors are required to go through a two-hour training on sexual harassment — how to report cases and how to respond to complaints.
Matthews pointed out there are two areas of sexual harassment — one between employees and the other involving students.
“Students should feel free from sexual harassment from anybody whether it be a fellow student, outside visitors or employees,”he said.
A 30-year-veteran of the school district, 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. Beltran, who teaches English as a Second Language, has been charged on 14 counts of molestation stemming from inappropriate conduct with five girls, one of whom was allegedly molested for more than a year.
A few days after the arrest, the district was notified by the Santa Monica Police Department about the 2006 investigation, sending officials a letter written by then principal Kathy Scott to Det. Lloyd Gladden about the sexual abuse claims. The letter was not filed with the district prior to the arrest.
Scott explained in the letter that a student said she was uncomfortable with the physical contact she’s had with Beltran, to which the teacher responded by saying he was shocked at the accusation and upset that his actions were interpreted as inappropriate.
The principal instructed the teacher not to touch any of his female students in his classroom.
“Mr. Beltran was in total agreement with my request,” Scott wrote.
District policy currently requires that when a school administrator receives a report of sexual abuse, it be referred to the police department or Department of Child and Family Services. The policy does not specifically state that the district’s leadership should be notified.
The board decided on Thursday to place Beltran on compulsory leave without pay.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 17, 2008. Read the original PDF.