Internal review comes on the heels of molestation allegations
SMMUSD HDQTRS District officials plan to review policies dictating how sexual allegations at school sites are communicated to top administrators after it was revealed earlier this week that a middle school teacher arrested for allegedly molesting his students was also investigated in 2006.
Leaders with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said they were unaware that Thomas Beltran, a 20-year veteran teacher at Lincoln Middle School, was investigated two years ago when a student told school administrators she was uncomfortable with the way he was touching her.
Beltran was not charged because there was insufficient evidence at the time.
The teacher was arrested on May 3, a day after Santa Monica Police Department detectives interviewed a 12-year-old student who claimed she was sexually abused. Beltran, who teaches English as a Second Language, has since 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.
The district was notified about the March 2006 investigation by the SMPD just a few days after Beltran’s arrest, receiving a copy of a letter written by then-Principal Kathy Scott to Detective Lloyd Gladden about the sexual abuse claims.
“I met with Mr. Beltran... to inform him of (the student’s) complaint,” Scott states in the letter. “Mr. Beltran was shocked at the accusation and was upset that his actions had been interpreted as inappropriate.”
The letter concludes by saying that Scott instructed the teacher not to touch any of his female students in his classroom to “protect himself from any further misinterpretation.”
“Mr. Beltran was in total agreement with my request,” Scott said in the letter.
The district’s current policy states that when a school administrator receives a report of sexual abuse, they are mandated to report it to the police or the Department of Children and Family Services, but does not require that the superintendent be notified, according to Mike Matthews, the assistant superintendent of human resources.
“I’m sure we’ll be changing that so the district can keep record of such filings and complaints,” Matthews said. “If there is a transition in leadership, we will make sure we have a history.”
There has been a number of changes in leadership since the investigation in 2006. Scott has since left the school and was replaced by Principal Tristan Komlos. Former Superintendent John Deasy left the district in 2006 for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland and was replaced by Superintendent Dianne Talarico.
Matthews said he is still researching why parents were not notified about the investigation. While a discussion about policy changes has not been agendized for the Board of Education meeting on May 15, the superintendent could discuss it during her report.
In the mean time, some changes have already been instituted, including a district-wide rule that all classroom windows be clear of any obstructions, such as posters. An open-door policy has also been effected at Lincoln Middle School, Matthews said.
Harry Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, said he hopes that the district will seek the input of the union when reviewing the policy, stressing that it is the teacher’s top priority to ensure the safety and well-being of students. Keiley could not comment on the specifics of the Beltran case, but said that generally the union is notified when allegations are made against one of their members, though that does not mean that they are reported all the time.
“Our teachers are just like every other American, they don’t leave their constitutional due process rights at the school house door,” Keiley said. “They still have and should have every protection afforded every other American and one of those is the right to know what you’re being accused of, who your accuser is and the assumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
School board President Oscar de la Torre said that he was upset that board members were not notified about the allegations.
“I felt that somebody dropped the ball in terms of communication,” he said.
The revelation has outraged parents who are demanding to know why they weren’t notified about the investigation at the time and the reason for Beltran remaining in the classroom.
In a letter addressed to the Board of Education, school parent Leslie Wizan asked how many similar memos and letters are in existence at the district for teachers kept in the classroom. The letter by Scott was not on record in Beltran’s file at the school district before receipt by the police department, which is why it was made available to the public. Files on record at the district are confidential personnel matters.
“I suggest the district go through all its paperwork and review each and every complaint,”Wizan continues.“Then, remove any questionable adult who has contact with children.”
Wizan also suggests the district look at complaints against teachers who have been emotionally abusive against students.
“It’s imperative that you take the safety of our children — physical and emotional — more seriously than you have in 2006.”
Matthews said that the district has the ability to take action against an employee for any misconduct — such as repeated tardiness or sexual allegations — regardless of whether they are charged. Discipline ranges from written warning to suspension.
“Even if charges are not filed, the district does their own investigation and can take action, not just for crimes committed against children,” Matthews said.
Matthews said he doesn’t know why action wasn’t taken against the teacher and is also investigating the issue.
“All we know is there was insufficient evidence to press charges and if charges had been pressed, it could’ve been a whole different matter,” he said.
The district is trying to reach out to former school employees to learn more about the investigation. Lowe said that notification to the district central headquarters would not fall on the department. He added that since charges were not filed, the police did not have an obligation to notify the public.
“The 2006 allegation did not meet the burden of proof for criminal prosecution,” he said. “It would’ve been erroneous on our part to make a public disclosure.”
Those allegations have since been folded in with the current charges.
HOW TO DEAL Police continue to interview possible victims who have come forward since Beltran’s arrest. More charges are possible in the coming weeks, according to Lt. Darrell Lowe.
Fear and humiliation often play into why children who are victims of sex-related crimes are reluctant to speak out, according to Pattie Fitzgerald, a child predator safety expert in Santa Monica.
Fitzgerald, who runs Safely Ever After, a company that provides child safety seminars, has children who will attend Lincoln in a few years.
“They often think that somehow they are partly responsible for the abuse and there is this feeling of shame,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s an embarrassment there that kids don’t want to subject themselves to.”
Children are also less likely to speak out about sex-related crimes as they get older, Fitzgerald said.
She stressed the importance of parents talking to their children about body safety at an early age, teaching them the differences between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
“Don’t wait until they’re 9 or 11 years old,” she said. “Let them know nobody has the right to touch them inappropriately.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 10, 2008. Read the original PDF.