Miramonte Scandal: Miramonte Elementary School Children Sexual Molestation Scandal

Former Los Angeles teacher Mark Berndt appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of spoon-feeding his semen to children at Miramonte Elementary School, and parents are questioning why they weren't alerted when the investigation first came to light in late 2010. Sources tell Fox News correspondent Gigi Graciette that a Wednesday morning meeting between parents, school officials and police at the school attracted over 200 attendees, and that at atmosphere of calm is "turning to anger." Graciette tweeted, "ANGER has erupted at parent meeting at Miramonte Elem over charges teacher abused students there." The forum between parents and officials erupted into angry shouts when school and police officials confirmed that the case was handled according to procedure. Investigators also confirmed that parents were kept in the dark about the photos because they didn't want to compromise the investigation. Aol Latino journalist Jorge Luis Macias was at the forum and spoke to parents after the meeting disbanded. As she was leaving the school grounds, parent Alicia Parra said of the suspect, "This kind of person should be sentenced to capital punishment." Parra also commented that even though she was leaving the meeting in a calmer state than when she first arrived, she couldn't stop "thinking of the damage that he's caused to so many children." Allice Winfield, who was there are the school to pick up her grandson, told Aol Latino that Miramonte Elementary was playing "macabre games" with children's lives. "The school had a great threat, and they never told anything to anybody." "How could it be possible that this man has been in this school for more than 30 years and no one ever realized anything?" questioned Mirna Enriquez, the mother of a third grader at the school. "Only thinking about what this teacher has done makes me want to vomit," she said to Aol Latino. Since news of the allegations against Berndt were made public on Tuesday, at least five more victims have contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, reports the Los Angeles Times. Two former students are also claiming that they reported their teacher's strange behavior to school officials decades ago, but nothing ever came of it. Owen, Patterson & Owen and The Law Office of Jessica Dominguez to represent alleged sexually abused Miramonte Elementary School children in personal injury lawsuits against two Los Angeles Unified School District teachers. 

One of pictures documenting Miramonte
Elementary School sexual abuse scandal.

Two leading law firms, Owen, Patterson & Owen and The Law Office of Jessica Dominguez, who together represent nine allegedly sexually molested Miramonte Elementary School children, filed personal injury lawsuits* on their behalf in Los Angeles County Court. The children all attend Miramonte Elementary School, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The lawsuits specifically accuse two LAUSD teachers, Mark Henry Berndt and Martin Bernard Springer, who were both arrested last week on criminal charges, on suspicion of lewd conduct with two female students and on suspicion of committing lewd acts on 23 of his students respectively. It also cites the LAUSD and Miramonte Elementary's principal Martin Sandoval, for failing to adequately protect the students. Los Angeles personal injury attorney Gregory James Owen of Owen, Patterson & Owen said he planned to file four more lawsuits on behalf of Miramonte students this week and represents a total of nine clients in the still-unfolding case. He added "Of particular concern is the fact that Berndt would often lock his classroom door which is a violation of LAUSD rules. We all have a duty to help these children have the best lives they can even though they will never be the same." The accusations have fueled protests by many of the parents and prompted Los Angeles County school officials to temporarily replace the entire staff at Miramonte during an exhaustive investigation. On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lieutenant Carlos Marquez said investigators had uncovered 200 more images of a similar nature on a computer at the drug store where the original photos were found. Dominguez stated, "I believe there will be more victims who come forward," adding that parents in the largely immigrant community have been reluctant to contact police. Attorney Jessica Dominguez is a respected commentator on radio, TV, and in the press. She has received countless awards from both elected officials and community agencies for her hard work and advocacy on behalf of immigrants.