LA schools settle 58 teacher lewd acts claims

[The Straight Story]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles school district will pay millions of dollars to settle dozens of legal actions stemming from an abuse case in which a former teacher is charged with lewd acts on children in his classroom over five years, district officials said Tuesday.

General Counsel David Holmquist said the settlement will cover 58 of the 191 claims and lawsuits filed against the district after the January 2012 arrest of former third-grade teacher Mark Berndt on 23 charges of lewd behavior at Miramonte Elementary School.

Holmquist would not specify the exact amount until the settlement is approved by a judge. He described it only as double-digit millions.

Prosecutors say Berndt played "tasting games" with students in which he fed them his semen on cookies and by spoon, sometimes blindfolding and photographing them. Berndt, who taught for 32 years at the South Los Angeles school, has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/la-schools-settle-58-teacher-lewd-acts-claims

[The Straight Story]

1. Also from LA area:

Bizarre Complaint Against L.A.-Area School

SAN BERNARDINO (CN) - A Los Angeles-area school district refused to discipline an elementary teacher who stuck a "long object" up a boy's rectum while telling him "good boys don't cry," the mother claims in court.
...

The complaint states: "On August 31, 2011, C.A. was sitting in his classroom with his classmates when his teacher, Zuk, began screaming at him and told him to follow her. Zuk forced C.A. out of the classroom and took him to the bathroom.

"Once in the bathroom, Zuk locked the bathroom door behind them and obligated C.A. to enter one of the stalls. Zuk then pulled C.A's pants and underwear down. Zuk stood behind C.A. and inserted a long object up his rectum several times. C.A. began crying due to the physical pain he was experiencing. In response to C.A.'s cries, Zuk said, 'Good boys don't cry.' After inserting the object up C.A's rectum several times, C.A. began to bleed. Zuk then stopped her assault on the boy. C.A. pulled up his underwear and pants and was escorted back to his classroom by Zuk."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022489142

[msongs]

2. might be true...might be false nt