In an ongoing child abuse investigation involving a teacher from the Los Angeles Unified School District, a number of Suspected Child Abuse Reports (“SCAR”) have surfaced. These records are among many documents that LAUSD claims to have destroyed in 2008. The recent discovery has escalated the controversy over alleged retention of information throughout the investigation.
LAUSD officials claim to have discovered the surviving reports in an unmarked box. As for the other SCARs, they were purportedly destroyed in 2008 by order of the school district. These files represented two decades of information regarding child molestation cases in LAUSD.
While the school district claims to have destroyed the other files—copies of files already on record—in accordance with state law, prosecution attorneys are not convinced. Citing an event in May when LAUSD was sanctioned $6,500 for withholding photographic evidence of child abuse, the lawyers believe that the school district has destroyed and hidden evidence as a cover-up. They claim that the newly found documents were hidden away with full knowledge of the district.
With the trial set for November 4th, the prosecution hopes that the true nature of LAUSD activity will finally become clear.
As this investigation demonstrates, child abuse cases can be complex and difficult. The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP has decades of legal experience and is dedicated to helping victims of child abuse obtain justice. Contact our offices if you need legal assistance.