Two senior Los Angeles school district administrators have been removed from their jobs for failing to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against an employee and then clearing him to work at a Watts middle school, where he allegedly molested two additional students.
Local district Supt. Carol Truscott and Scott Braxton, who formerly worked for Truscott, have been relieved of duties and assigned to the central office pending further investigation into how they dealt with former Assistant Principal Stephen Thomas Rooney. Rooney, who is being held on $1-million bail, faces sexual misconduct charges in relation to three current and former Los Angeles Unified School District students.
The moves were announced Tuesday afternoon by Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, who took charge of the district's response to the Rooney case Tuesday morning. Supt. David L. Brewer, who was in San Diego viewing schools, did not return telephone calls Tuesday seeking comment.
"There is evidence they did not do what is expected," Cortines said of Truscott and Braxton. In cases involving alleged sexual misconduct, "we have a responsibility to continue the investigation until we feel that the employee is cleared to be in contact with students. Our policy is clear: Regardless of what the Los Angeles Police Department does and what our own school police do, we have a responsibility to continue the investigation."
Rooney was first arrested early last year on charges of brandishing a gun at the stepfather of a former student. District officials immediately reassigned Rooney to a job where he would have no contact with students pending the resolution of the case. During the police inquiry, allegations emerged that Rooney had conducted a long-term sexual relationship with the student starting when she was 15. As The Times reported Monday, police quickly alerted top district officials to the possible relationship. Police and prosecutors eventually concluded that they lacked sufficient evidence to pursue charges, in large part because the alleged victim, who had since turned 18, refused to testify against Rooney.
In the district, communication broke down, said Cortines, who joined the the school system as the No. 2 administrator last month. He said an internal report paints a picture of a disjointed district response throughout. For example, the employee relations office handled the Rooney case on behalf of district headquarters, yet staff members there insist they knew only of the gun charge, Cortines said in an interview and a prepared statement.
