Main City, CALIFORNIA

School district investigates principal's response.

October 31, 2008 -

The Alisal Union School District is investigating whether a principal properly alerted authorities after four students alleged they were inappropriately touched by their teacher, convicted child molester John Hawthorne.

District Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas said she has assigned an administrator and the district's legal counsel to investigate the handling of the case.

The reason?

At Hawthorne's sentencing last week, prosecutor Gary Thelander said Salazar, then principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, did not initially report the girls' claims, adding to their hesitance to cooperate with authorities. Hawthorne was the girls' teacher in a multi-level "newcomers" class for recent immigrants.

After reviewing evidence, Thelander said Thursday that Salazar had met her requirements as a "mandatory reporter" because she was "in contact" with Monterey County Child Protective Services the day she met with the girls and filled out required forms.

However,

Even though the letter of the law may have been followed, Thelander said, he is still troubled by the fact that Salazar met with Hawthorne after hearing the girls' complaints, apparently concluded they were not credible and allowed the teacher to return to the classroom with the students the next day, April 13, 2007, a Friday.

"It's all part and parcel of ... why the kids were hesitant to come forward," the prosecutor said of the principal's reaction.

FALSE REPORTS RARE

While credibility is always an element of investigating a molestation allegation, District Superintendent Esperanza said, false reports by elementary school students are rare.

OUTRAGEOUS
Even after police discovered the child porn and Hawthorne pleaded guilty in the case, five teachers wrote to the court — one on California Teachers Association letterhead — asking for leniency in his case.
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TT - Hawthorne was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He admitted to molesting more than a dozen students in 2007. He will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. TT entry for Hawthorne.