Parents whose children attend a California elementary school protested Tuesday, claiming that not enough was done after a substitute teacher was apparently watching adult content on his phone during class.
The incident took place Friday at Cameron Elementary School in the West Covina Unified School District, according to KNBC-TV.
“The teacher had his back to the kids, so they could see his phone and Adison said that there were naked people on the phone,” Stacy Mathews, who is the mom of a child in the class where the incident took place.
Mathews said students were made uncomfortable by what they saw and huddled in a corner.
“He wouldn’t let them go to the bathroom,” Mathews said.
School officials found out what was going on from a parent, District Superintendent Emy Flores said in a note to parents posted on the district’s website. The substitute teacher has not been named.
“A parent called Cameron Elementary to notify that his son called him crying and the parent wanted to know why. Ms. Fullerton (school principal) went to the classroom to check on the student and found several students crying,” the note said.
“Ms. Fullerton took over the class and directed the substitute teacher to leave the classroom. Ms. Fullerton inquired why students were crying. She spent time with students and assured them that they were safe and that the substitute teacher would not be returning to their class.
KTLA-TV reported that the substitute was not arrested Friday due to a lack of evidence.
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West Covina Police Chief Richard Bell issued a statement calling for calm, according to KNBC.
“We urge everyone to remain calm and trust in the investigative process. We are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of all community members, particularly our children,” he said.
Parents gathered outside of Cameron Elementary school in West Covina on Tuesday to protest after a substitute teacher was removed from a classroom for viewing inappropriate material on the phone in the middle of class. pic.twitter.com/ZGKMUEhZ6x
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But parents were not happy.
“When we found out on Saturday that he wasn’t arrested, she was scared thinking that he was going to come back and come back to get them for tattling, is how she worded it,” Mathews said
Parent Meghan Randall showed up Tuesday to protest a lack of action in the case, saying “I’m doing this for my daughter,” according to CBS.
“She didn’t even go to school today, cause she’s like, ‘Mom, I’m scared.’ I get it, and like, seeing … little kids come in it’s like, wow. It could happen to anybody,” Randall said
Flores said the district took appropriate action.
“As soon as we found out we took immediate action and keeping the safety of our students is a top priority,” she said. “The principal alerted us at the district office and I immediately dispatched my staff to come out here and support.”
In her note to parents, Flores said she was “disturbed and disgusted by these alleged actions. As parents, we strive to protect our students from harm and preserve their innocence.”
She said police and the Department of Child Protective Services will be investigating, adding that the district is “fully prepared to take legal action to the fullest extent, should these allegations be confirmed.”
