More than a dozen parents and their families protested outside a West Covina elementary school on Tuesday, Feb. 20, where the removal of a substitute teacher accused of viewing inappropriate material in class prompted demands for an apology, questions over why an arrest was not immediately made and concern over why they weren’t notified sooner.
Isabelle Vizcarra organized the morning protest outside Cameron Elementary School, where her two children are students.
Neither were in the fifth-grade classroom Friday, where the teacher was removed after a complaint from a parent. But she said the incident prompted more general concern about safety on campus.
“We need to stand up for our kids,” Vizcarra said, adding she would not send her children to school until “they can assure us that our kids are safe and there are no other pedophiles on campus.”
Emy Flores, superintendent of West Covina Unified School District, emailed updates about the situation throughout the long weekend, providing a timeline of events and explaining the district’s hiring practices.
A phone call from a parent triggered the events about noon Friday. He told office staff that his son had called him crying. Cameron Principal Sylvia Fullerton went to the child’s classroom and found several of the 32 students crying, Flores said.
“Ms. Fullerton took over the class and directed the substitute teacher to leave the classroom,” Flores continued in the statement. The teacher was not identified, and no arrests were immediately reported.
The families of the children in the classroom were notified by the principal, and some of them said it took the school too long to inform them about what happened, and not before they saw posts about it on social media.
Meeting with the protesters in the rain, Flores explained that she instructed the principal to personally make all the calls to the 32 affected families and that meant some families were notified hours after the incident. She said she welcomes any investigation of district procedures.
“Connecting with my families is important,” she said. “We care about each child. Each child matters in our schools. Every morning, I know (parents) are dropping off what matters most to them in the world.”
Stacy Matthews said her daughter Addison saw the substitute’s phone screen and the apps he accessed, including one with a camera.
“It’s hard to explain to an 11-year-old what porn is, what Tinder is, this is traumatizing,” she said. “What’s hard is having to have uncomfortable conversations with them.”
Matthews said her child was hysterical when she picked her up on Friday.
“She hasn’t slept, she hasn’t eaten all weekend,” she added. “Thank God she has a big sister who let her sleep in her bed. I don’t know how to help her. I’m still in the process, but we’re going to get her counseling for sure.”
Matthews allowed her daughter to stay home from school on Tuesday, “to let her decide what to do and express how she feels. She doesn’t feel safe in the (school) office and I don’t want her to feel that way.”
The parents who protested outside the school at morning drop off and afternoon pick-up said they want to see an arrest and receive an apology from the school and the district.
“This is our community and this is a safe city,” Norma C. said, declining to give her last name out of privacy concerns. “It’s very tragic. I think this was not handled properly. I found out about it on social media.”
West Covina police said there were no updates in the investigation.
She and her husband Louis’ two children are in transitional kindergarten and second grade at the school.
Selina Mosqueda’s daughter was in the classroom. Mosqueda and her father Ronald were among the protesters Tuesday.
“I want answers and accountability,” Mosqueda said. “What will the school do to help our kids feel safe? They were afraid in that classroom.”
Flores said the substitute teacher’s employment history showed no red flags. He passed criteria such as fingerprinting, Department of Justice screening, drug testing and annual training required of all teachers.
“I pride myself in having an outstanding school district, and we must approach this with a lot of empathy and understanding,” Flores said. “I don’t want our community to lose trust in our schools. The safety of our students is at the top of our priority list. The principal did everything she could do. And at this point, they’re allegations.”
A team of counselors and social workers are in place at the school for students, Flores said. She said she understands some parents feel disheartened.
“We will not shy away from taking strict and necessary actions based on the findings of the ongoing investigation,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
Brian Tabatabai, mayor of West Covina, spoke with parents outside the school, encouraging them to continue to share their perspective.
“I wanted to make sure that the families know how much our city cares about them and that our West Covina Police Department is doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of our kids,” he said. “We are a community and we are there for each other.”
Arlene Zamora, president of the school’s PTA, said she appreciates that the principal quickly removed the substitute teacher from the children.
“But I feel social media was not the way for parents to find out what transpired,” she said. “And I don’t feel the first phone call should have been to the district. It should have been to the police.”
Zamora, whose three children graduated from West Covina schools and now has three grandchildren in the district, said this is the third incident of teacher misconduct in West Covina schools since 2012 and officials should do better in hiring educators.
“I trust the teachers at Cameron Elementary one hundred percent, and I know some of the substitutes, but I’m always going to be afraid now,” Zamora said. “Substitutes teach all over the district. My fear is not just for the kids of Cameron. And I hope there is an arrest. The children feel like they were not listened to. I would like all the parents to know I am here to support them the way they have supported us.”
West Covina Police Chief Richard Bell told Flores the department has a whole team of investigators on the case. The Department of Child Protective Services is also involved.
“We understand that this situation may evoke strong emotions within our community. However, we urge everyone to remain calm and trust in the investigative process,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Anyone with information about the investigation should call the West Covina Police at 626-939-8688.
