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LA teachers union tries, fails to defend teachers accused of abuse

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LA teachers union representative Glenn Sacks appears to believe (“Teachers deserve presumption of innocence,” May 13) that he has all the answers for the ongoing problem of child sexual abuse in our schools.

He blames the victims; he blames the US Department of Education; he blames everyone but the predators and the school administrators who cover up their crimes.

He ignores the root cause of the problem, which is a culture at the LA Unified School District (LAUSD) that simply does not value the safety of children.

Sacks’ claim that low-income students, immigrant families, and their children are filing false sexual abuse claims against teachers to receive ‘“go-away” money is not only racist and reprehensible, but also false.

The sad fact is that teachers with a history of predatory behavior are often placed in low-income Title 1 schools where immigrant children and their families are less likely to trust law enforcement and report abuse. In case after case, these teachers prey upon the most vulnerable children.

Just look at South Gate High School, a school in South LA whose student body is 92% low-income and nearly 100% minority. 

In 2009, a substitute teacher at the school, Jesus Saenz, was convicted of unlawful sex with a minor. His victim, a student at the high school, had reported the incident to the school’s leadership. 

The principal and assistant principal, Jesus Angulo and Maria Sotomayor, respectively, in turn allegedly told the victim to recant her statement and decline to report the incident, according to a civil lawsuit. 

Angulo and Sotomayor also ended up pleading guilty to failing to........

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