CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 11, 2012 | By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
Miramonte Elementary, the school beset this year by misconduct charges against two teachers, will have a new center next fall for parents to take classes and hold meetings. The $143,535 project to relocate and update the center won unanimous approval Tuesday from the Los Angeles Board of Education. The upgrade at Miramonte, which is in unincorporated Florence-Firestone, is part of a $20-million districtwide plan authorized last year. Miramonte burst into the news in February with the arrest of Mark Berndt, who has pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of lewd conduct, including allegations that he photographed blindfolded students being spoon fed his semen.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 30, 2012 | By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
Parents will be notified within 72 hours when a teacher is removed from a classroom because of sexual-misconduct allegations, Los Angeles school officials announced Thursday. The new policy addresses parent anger after the arrests of several teachers and other Los Angeles Unified School District employees. "The spate of cases involving sexual misconduct in recent months has prompted a reevaluation of our reporting procedures," Supt. John Deasy said in a statement. Parents at Miramonte Elementary in unincorporated Florence-Firestone were upset that they received no explanation when veteran teacher Mark Berndt was pulled from class early in 2011.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 14, 2012 | By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
Republican lawmakers have joined with the Los Angeles Board of Education and the mayor to seek the swifter firing of teachers accused of sexual misconduct. They also want to strip retiree health benefits and state pensions from school employees convicted of sex-related crimes against students. Those moves would require changes to state law that were included in proposals announced Tuesday by the Republican legislative leadership. The school board's resolution, approved Tuesday, matches closely, as do proposed laws sought by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat.
OPINION
March 6, 2012
The allegations of sexual molestation involving two teachers at Miramonte Elementary School have rightly rocked the Los Angeles Unified School District. Now that the alarm has been raised and the need to watch for and report suspicious behavior is better understood, more reports have arisen at other schools of possible abuses. And though it was an extreme move, we also supported the shifting and temporary replacement of the entire staff of Miramonte until the investigation has been completed, to ensure that students are protected.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 12, 2012 | By Teresa Watanabe and Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times
Until the photos surfaced, it didn't appear that anything was seriously amiss at Miramonte Elementary School. The school was on the upswing. Test scores were rising. The campus south of downtown Los Angeles was bright with new paint, murals and $6 million in other improvements. A new principal brought in parent education workshops, student leadership programs and other activities. Even the neighborhood, notorious for gang violence and drugs, had calmed down. Then came the bombshell: photos showing Miramonte schoolchildren blindfolded and gagged, pictured with spoons containing a milky substance that authorities allege was the semen of Mark Berndt, 61, a third-grade teacher who has been charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct with children.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 12, 2012 | George Skelton, Capitol Journal
Here's another outrage about the child abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School: If the teacher accused of spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded students is convicted and sent to prison, he'll still receive a public pension. Mark Berndt, charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct against children, is due nearly $4,000 a month. No matter the jury verdict. It's the law. Same deal for a fellow Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, who was charged last week with three counts of lewd conduct alleging that he fondled a girl in his class.