A California substitute teacher was removed from his classroom after viewing “inappropriate images” in front of his elementary students — a traumatic event that left several students in tears, officials said.
West Covina Unified School District Superintendent Emy Flores said the disturbing incident occurred sometime before noon Friday, shortly before a concerned parent called Cameron Elementary School demanding to know why her son had called her sobbing.
When the school’s principal, Slyvia Fullerton, checked on the boy, she instead found “several students crying,” Flores said in a statement Sunday.
The substitute teacher — who has not been named — was ordered to leave the classroom while Fullerton tried to reassure the traumatized children before ultimately bringing them to the on-site Mental Wellness Room.
According to the kids, the man was watching “naked people” on his phone, which was blatantly displayed within the young students’ line of vision, exasperated parents told NBC 4.
Parent Stacy Mathews claimed many of the students huddled together in a corner because they felt uncomfortable.
“He wouldn’t let them go to the bathroom,” Mathews told the station.
After learning what had happened, Flores immediately alerted district administrators, Child Protective Services and local law enforcement to investigate the perverted claims.
As of Wednesday, there have been no arrests in the case, but the West Covina Police Department said a probe into the incident is ongoing.
“We want to reassure the community that the police department is treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness. An investigation is currently underway to thoroughly examine the situation and gather all the necessary information,” Chief Richard Bell said in a statement.
Flores said the substitute teacher had passed a rigorous background check without district officials finding any red flags.
Dozens of parents protested outside the elementary school Tuesday, demanding that law enforcement arrest the substitute teacher.
“When we found out on Saturday that he wasn’t arrested, [my daughter] was scared thinking that he was going to come back and come back to get them for tattling, is how she worded it,” Mathews said.
West Covina is a suburban city roughly 19 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
