Los Angeles County prosecutors were sharply critical Monday of L.A. school district Supt. David L. Brewer's decision to send two high school administrators back to work on campus after they were criminally charged with failing to report a student's claims that she was sexually abused by a substitute teacher.
David Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles district attorney's Public Integrity Division, said it's "very unusual" for public officials accused of a crime to be allowed to return to their jobs -- particularly when they deal with children.
"It is very surprising. We prosecute a lot of public employees, and they are usually placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the trial," he said.
Jesus Angulo, principal of South East High School in South Gate, and Maria Sotomayor, an assistant principal, were charged May 1 with failing to report child abuse allegations by a girl who said substitute teacher Jesus Salvador Saenz had sex with her.
As district employees, they are mandated under state law and district policy to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse to a "child protective services agency."
But prosecutors said when the student went to the administrators in October, they failed to do so.
The South Gate case follows intense criticism of the Los Angeles Unified School District for its handling of the case of former assistant principal Steve Rooney.
In February 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department told district officials that Rooney was suspected of having sexual contact with a student at Foshay Learning Center in South L.A.
After initially putting Rooney in a desk job at a non-school site, district officials transferred him to Markham Middle School in Watts when prosecutors didn't file charges. He has now been charged with molesting two students there and the former Foshay student.
Angulo and Sotomayor have not yet been arraigned and could be not be reached for comment Monday. If convicted, they each face up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Brewer, in an interview with The Times, defended the decision to return the administrators.
He said they were needed back on campus to avoid disruptions -- particularly with state academic testing this week and graduation scheduled in the next few weeks.
Brewer said he suspended the officials for three days without pay -- and that they would be subject to additional discipline if convicted. Brewer said if they get the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor "they're done."
