Depression, anxiety and insomnia have become almost daily challenges, according to the mother of a student allegedly abused by a teacher while attending Miramonte Elementary School.

Her family is among the 71 not included in the settlements negotiated between 58 families and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"I want the system to change to avoid this happening to other kids," said the mother, who asked to be identified simply as "Maria" in order to protect her daughter's privacy.

Maria spoke to NBCLA at the South Pasadena officer of her attorney Luis Carrillo.

"Justice for her is the district preventing this from ever occurring again," Carrillo said.

Maria's daughter was allegedly abused during the 2005-06 school year, when she was in the third grade class of teacher Mark Berndt, according to Maria.

Berndt was removed from teaching in 2011, and a year later, he was arrested and charged with 23 child abuse counts, allegedly involving bizarre deviancies, including feeding children cookies laced with his bodily fluid.

Part of what made his arrest so jolting, Maria recalled, is that Berndt was known as a good, enthusiastic teacher, well-liked both by students and parents.

"But something seemed not right," said Maria, who in retrospect thinks Berndt went too far ingratiating himself with families.

He often attended the birthday parties of his students at their homes, including for Maria's daughter.

In fact, for her quinceañera two years ago – long after leaving Miramonte – the daughter wanted to invite Berndt, but her mother discovered he was no longer teaching.

Then they learned of the criminal charges.

Authorities revealed that a film processing lab had had come forward with photographs of children blindfolded and eating cookies in what investigators determined was Berndt's classroom.

The daughter's "first reaction was denial," Maria said.

What came to her mind were photos her daughter had brought home from class, photos Berndt had taken of children eating cookies.

"People say, 'how could you not know?' I asked every day," Maria said. But her daughter never mentioned anything of concern.

Bringing up the issue again with her daughter was difficult, Maria said.

"But I had to because I found the pictures and wanted to know what else," she said.

The daughter told her Berndt had sometimes tied up children and put on them the Madagascar cockroach he kept in the classroom.

Denial gave way to anxiety, and Maria said her daughter suffers from depression and fear Berndt will suddenly appear, and can sleep only with a light on. Therapy is providing some help.

The daughter is now in high school. She has two brothers: one in middle school, the younger in second grade at Miramonte.

Maria's husband earns enough that she has been able to take a break from her work in fashion design and be a full-time mother to their children.

The family has discussed the possibility that, absent a settlement, their suit against the district will go to trial and Maria’s daughter will face the ordeal of testifying.

"She says if we do this, if we go to trial to protect other kids, like my brother, I'll do it," Maria said.

Mediation with the district currently is "at impasse," Carrillo said.

At a court date on March 26, Carrillo and two other attorneys – Brian Claypool and John Manly – representing additional families suing the district, expect to ask the judge to set a trial date.

In the separate criminal case against Berndt, he has pleaded not guilty, and remains jailed awaiting a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to hold him for trial.

Given that her daughter and other Berndt students did not consider themselves victims until approached by law enforcement, Maria was asked if she considers it possible that investigators leaped to the wrong conclusion about Berndt.

"No," she said.

Several groups of parents and about half of the students who filed claims against accused molestor Mark Berndt have agreed to a multi-million-dollar settlement with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Miramonte Abuse Scandal: Timeline of Events

All told, nearly 200 claims were filed, close to two-thirds by students. Of those, 119 were represented in mediation and 58 students are covered in the settlement, according to David Holmquist, general counsel with the LAUSD.

The monetary value of the Individual settlements is close to half a million dollars per plaintiff, with the total sum equaling an estimated $30 million according to an attorney for the victims. It could take several months for the judge to approve the settlement, Holmquist said.

"We're not admitting any liability but what happened at Miramonte is clearly tragic," Holmquist said.

The story broke on NBCLA.com Tuesday morning. The agreement was confirmed to NBC4 by three attorneys representing more than two dozen of the plaintiffs. Holmquist confirmed the settlement at school district headquarters Tuesday afternoon.

The claims were filed with the district after the arrest of Berndt and another Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, one year ago. 

Those suing the district agreed to postpone pursuing lawsuits in court to make time for mediation.  That process resulted in the settlement agreement being reached with 14 of 17 groups.  The holdouts include families represented by Luis Carrillo, Brian Claypool, and John Manly and Martha Escutia.  They criticized the district's approach to the settlement.

"They tried to shove it down people's throats," Manly said, characterizing the amount of the settlement offer as "small" for this type of case. "After attorneys' fees, there's not enough for counseling for most of our families."

Manly said he and his plaintiffs also feel it is unwise to settle until the legal discovery process has provided more information regarding the district's culpability. No documents have been provided, nor have there been any depositions, according to Manly, who represents 30 plaintiffs. 

If unable to reach more favorable terms, Carrillo's group of plaintiffs "will go forward" with litigation, he said.  Claypool said the families he represents are prepared for the possibility of going to trial.

The civil settlement agreement does not affect the criminal cases against the former third-grade teachers. Berndt is accused of blindfolding students and feeding them his bodily fluid, sometimes taking photographs. The initial investigation was prompted by a South Bay film lab contacting law enforcement about photos of children brought in to be developed. 

Springer is accused of improperly touching a child in his classroom. Springer's case has already been through preliminary hearing and is headed to trial. Berndt awaits his preliminary hearing.

After a year in custody on accusations he sexually abusing his students, former LAUSD teacher Mark Berndt has been put on notice he may face more charges.

Berndt is already facing 23 counts of lewd conduct related to the student abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School.

Authorities arrested Berndt in February 2012 after the discovery of incriminating photographs that, according to investigators, showed Berndt feeding students cookies topped with his bodily fluids.

After his arrest, sheriff's investigators disclosed they had come across more photos of additional children, which first raised the possibility of additional counts.

At a court hearing in Downtown LA on Wednesday, prosecutors said they expected to make a decision by Berndt's next court appearance in April. However, they declined to comment on how many additional counts they are considering or why the uncertainty has lasted so long.

"The prosecution and law enforcement have had a significant chunk of time to get their ducks in a row," defense attorney Manny Medrano said. "I'd be surprised if there's additional charges, but if there are we'll be ready to aggressively defend against them."

Berndt remains in custody on $26 million bail.

At the judge's request, prosecutors will consider the possibility of offering Berndt a plea agreement, even as they consider filing more charges against him.

A judge Wednesday told one of two teachers accused in an investigation into allegations of child sex abuse at Miramonte Elementary School that he is no longer required to wear a GPS monitor on his ankle.

Martin Springer is accused of improperly touching a student three years ago at the Florence area school. He has been free on bail, but was required to wear the GPS monitor -- until Wednesday's order from the judge in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

"The judge looked at what the case was about and believed that putting the restrictions that he did was good enough, at this point," said defense attorney John Tyre.

Springer, arrested in February 2012 on suspicion of committing lewd acts with two children, was ordered to stay at least 500 feet from schools and parks where children gather. One of the accusers has since recanted the accusation.

Springer's arrest came after fellow Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt was arrested in connection with photos of students that authorities said depicted children with blindfolds over their eyes Some of the children had spoons of semen held to their mouths as part of what Berndt allegedly called "tasting games."

Their arrests came within the same week, but no connection has been established between the two teachers. Berndt is charged with committing lewd acts against 23 students and remains in custody.

In a motion filed to dismiss the case against Springer, defense attorneys call the case a "witch hunt." The accuser began the school year in Berndt's third-grade classroom, but a parent requested a transfer after seeing the student in pictures that are part of the Berndt investigation, according to testimony during Springer's preliminary hearing.

The student, who was transferred to Springer's classroom, claims the alleged touching occurred in his classroom. The defense claims the touching was not sexual.

"There's a lot of contradiction in things that were said," Tyre said. "And, I believe, when you look at that it makes the evidence somewhat questionable at best."

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board voted unanimously to dismiss Springer. As for Berndt, he was suspended in February 2011 and notified of his pending termination.

Springer is scheduled to return to court in March for a hearing on the motion to dismiss. The case against Berndt has yet to reach the preliminary hearing phase. 

The allegations led to a two-day shutdown and re-staffing of Miramonte Elementary School, lawsuits against the Los Angeles Unified School District and a bill to expedite the disciplinary review process for teachers accused of sexual abuse. The bill failed to pass the Assembly Education Committee in June.

More Local Stories:

• New Lawsuits Filed Against LAUSD
• Ex-Miramonte Teacher Mark Berndt Hires Defense Attorney
• How Parents Can Help Protect Children

Mark Berndt, the former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd conduct against his students, has hired as his defense attorney a former federal prosecutor who is also an ex-television news reporter.

Manny Medrano took Berndt's case up on Tuesday. A reporter for NBC4 for a decade who also worked at KTLA and covered the U.S. Supreme Court for ABC News, Medrano He replaces a public defender who has represented Berndt since last year.

Berndt is faces multiple felony counts and is being held on $23 million bail, an amount that Medrano said he'd seek to have reduced. The changes against Berndt set off a firestorm of anger against the Los Angeles Unified School District, which faces at least 189 claims over the alleged abuse.

Miramonte School Scandal: Timeline

A veteran teacher at the campus in the unincorporated Florence-Firestone area, Berndt is accused of feeding semen-laced cookies to blindfolded students, among other allegations.

"The allegations, let’s be honest, are very, very disturbing," Medrano said. "But consider the source of them—all the information that the public knows has come from only two sources: law enforcement and the Los Angeles Unified School District. … Every story has two sides."

Medrano said he'd been hired after Berndt learned of him through others. On his website, Medrano touts having obtained convictions in every federal prosecution of his that went to trial – in 60 cases. His law firm now focuses on criminal defense.

"He asked to meet with me. We met many times. We hit it off," said Medrano, who declined to discuss his fees.

Medrano said he is considering seeking a change of venue in the case to get Berndt away from Los Angeles.

"There has been profound negative publicity in this case," Medrano said. "You can’t pick up a newspaper...or see something on TV without some reference to Mr. Berndt. … He seems to be demonized at this point."

At a hearing at the Clara Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Thursday, a judge accepted the substitution of Medrano as Berndt's attorney.

Berndt's next court date in this slow-moving case is Feb. 6.

December 2010: Investigation begins into Florence school teacher Mark Berndt after authorities find dozens of questionable photographs of children, police say.

February 2011: LAUSD suspends Berndt from his teaching position at Miramonte and notifies him that they intended to fire him.Full Story

March 2011: Berndt objects to the district's dismissal of him and requests a hearing, which is set for October. Full Story

June 2011: Berndt and the district reach a settlement agreement; LAUSD pays Berndt $40,000. Full Story

Jan. 31, 2012: Berndt, 61, is arrested at his Torrance apartment for allegedly committing felony molestation with 23 children ages 6 to 10 years old. Police cite the nearly 40 photographs of Berndt allegedly committing lewd acts on children. He is held on $2.3 million bail. Full Story

Jan. 31, 2012: Police release mug shot of Berndt (pictured, below).

Jan. 31, 2012: Parents at the school voice their dissatisfaction with administrators for withholding information for more than a year. Full Story

Jan. 31, 2012: Neighbors living in Berndt's apartment building, which he owned with his sister, say they were not aware of any wrong doing and some believed Berndt had retired. Full Story

Feb. 1, 2012: Judge increases Berndt's bail to $23 million, $1 million for each count against him. He also postpones arraignment for Berndt until Feb. 22. Full Story

Feb. 1, 2012: Police say they seized 350 more photos at Berndt's residence and a Redondo Beach CVS, which is required by law to report suspected child abuse found in pictures.

Feb. 2, 2012: A former fourth-grade student of Berndt's, Nadine Martinez Rodriguez, says she witnessed some inappropriate conduct but was scared to speak up about it. Watch Video

Feb. 3, 2012: Martin Springer, 41, also a teacher at Miramonte Elementary, is arrested at his Alhambra home on suspicion of committing lewd acts on children. Watch Video

Feb. 3, 2012: A lawyer for a mother whose daughter was allegedly abused files a claim in court against a Miramonte Elementary teacher and the school district, claiming a "massive cover-up" allowed the alleged improper conduct to occur. Full Story

Feb. 3, 2012: Similar to the Berndt case, Springer's neighbors were shocked to find out he had been arrested under such allegations. Full Story

Feb. 6, 2012: It is learned that a former Miramonte Elementary teacher's aide, Ricardo Guevara, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2005 for committing lewd acts with children. Guevara was convicted for a case from 2003, but had allegedly been committing such acts as far back as 1995. Full Story

Feb. 6, 2012: Upset parents from all over Southern California protest outside Miramonte Elementary to question how LAUSD handled the abuse claims. The protest occurred just hours before LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy was expected to address them. Full Story

Feb. 6, 2012: Deasy announces to parents in a closed meeting that Miramonte Elementary will be completely restaffed and social workers will be placed in every classroom. Full Story

Feb. 7, 2012: Springer is charged with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, according to authorities. Full Story

Feb. 7, 2012: Some parents and students are critical of the district's choice to replace every teacher, protesting the move with signs that read things like, "All teachers are not criminals." Full Story

Feb. 7, 2012: Some immigrant families with children at Miramonte Elementary are afraid to speak up due to fears regarding their immigration status, but Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Scott says immigration will not be an issue for those who come forward. Full Story

Feb. 7, 2012: Parents are upset over a state law that allows public school teachers convicted of felonies to still collect their pensions, which are paid with tax-payer money. Full Story

Feb. 8, 2012: It is reported by the Los Angeles Times that a Miramonte Elementary fourth-grade student's mother found a love letter in June 2009 that she claimed was from a teacher's aide. Full Story

Feb. 9, 2012: Miramonte Elementary School reopens with a new staff after a two-day shutdown. Full Story

Feb. 9, 2012: An exclusive NBC4 report reveals that the LAUSD paid Mark Berndt to resign. Full Story

Feb. 10, 2012: Martin Springer is released from jail, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department. Full Story

Feb. 13, 2012: Miramonte staff members start at a new high school after their transfer ordered by the LAUSD. Full Story

March 28, 2012: Prosecutors say they are still going through "a lot" of photos and working to identify new potential victims. Full Story

March 28, 2012: Berndt's attorney asks judge to lower bond from $23 million to $1 million. Request denied. Full Story

May 4, 2012: The first in a series of negligence lawsuits in connection with the case is filed against the Los Angeles Unified School District. Full Story

June 28, 2012: A bill designed to expedite the disciplinary review process for teachers accused of sexual abuse fails to pass Assembly Education Committee. Full Story

July 10, 2012: Fourteen mothers of Miramonte students file a lawsuit alleging that the school district did not protect their children from accused teacher Mark Berndt. Full Story

July 13, 2012: The FBI announces that it will not look into allegations of sexual abuse. Full Story

August 16, 2012: A preliminary hearing for Mark Brendt is delayed, giving prosecutors more time to investigate the case. Full Story

Correction: An earlier version of the timeline erroneously reported Berndt was fired in January 2011. He was actually suspended in February 2011 and notified of his pending termination.

On the same day that attorneys for students at Miramonte Elementary School announced that four additional lawsuits have been filed against LAUSD over alleged sexual abuse at the school, the district said it faces 189 claims resulting from the scandal.

Attorneys at at a press conference Wednesday morning announced the new lawsuits, which were filed Monday and join others actions filed against Los Angeles Unified School District.

The legal mess comes after Miramonte Elementary, in the unincorporated Florence-Firestone area, was rocked by a scandal last winter when longtime teacher Mark Berndt was accused of blindfolding students and feeding them semen-laced cookies, among other alleged crimes.

"I have personally interviewed children who have broken down in tears, telling me what was done to them," said former state Sen. Martha Escutia, who is representing students in the new lawsuits.

In discussing the lawsuits Wednesday, LAUSD general counsel David Holmquist said the district faces 189 claims over the Miramonte alleged abuse. The claims are on behalf of 126 students, with the remainder from their family members, Holmquist said.

Many of those claimants are in settlement talks with the district. Two attorneys -- Brian Claypool and Luis Carillo -- are representing dozens of children whose families sued the school district earlier this year over the Miramonte allegations. In August, a judge ordered a stay those lawsuits to make time for settlement negotiations.

But Escutia and another attorney working with her, John Manly, who previously took on the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over abuse allegations, said Wednesday they do not want to enter settlement talks in their four cases.

The attorneys said they intend to file 22 more lawsuits against LAUSD.

"When their teacher they trust comes up to them and says this is good for you, they have a right to trust their teacher," Manly said.

Holmquist said the district's settlement process will avoid a lengthy court process that he said could require victims to testify.

"We understand there may be some responsibility, so we want want to try to solve this in the most efficient and equitable way that respects the rights of the students," said Holmquist in an interview with NBC4. "It could be a potentially large financial hit for us. But it's our responsibility to make sure they're made whole."

Berndt faces multiple felony counts and is being held on $23 million jail. Another teacher, Martin Springer, was also arrested and faces related charges.

The case caused an uproar in among district parents, and led to increased scrutiny toward the LAUSD's handling of child abuse cases.

Last week, the California State Auditor released a report critical of the district for failing to properly report abuse allegations and for being slow to investigate them.

The report found that LAUSD was more than one year late in filing 144 cases to the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing about allegations against teachers. The district is required to report such cases to the commission.

On Wednesday, Escutia and Manly said they were spurred on by the state audit report. They demanded that LAUSD release all reports of teacher abuse.

The attorneys stated that the number of victims at Miramonte Elementary is growing, and said that there are other "abusers."

Holmquist, said in a statement early Wednesday that the district said it is seeking to "resolve claims without the pain and cost of lengthy litigation."

"Our sincerest hope is that through this process we can avoid the potential pain of lengthy litigation while promoting healing and improving trust with the community," Holmquist said.

Two additional lawsuits were filed Monday, according to court documents provided by the district after Holmquist's statement was issued. The attorneys said four complaints were filed on behalf of four students.

One, filed on behalf of an anonymous 13-year-old boy, alleges the plantiff was harassed, molested and abused by Berndt. It also alleges that principal Martin Sandoval and Superintedent John Deasy knew of allegations against Berndt.

The other suit, filed on behalf of an anonymous 11-year-old girl, makes similar allegations.

Holmquist said in an interview that 16 groups of lawyers are handling claims against the district, and all but one group -- Escutia and Manly -- have entered an ongoing settlement negotiation process that the district hopes to have concluded by the end of March. 

He said the district will have to pay up to $5 million in settlement costs to parties that have filed claims, but anything above that amount will be covered by insurance.

The nation's second-largest school district was slow to investigate allegations of employee abuse against students and often failed to report them to a state teaching commission, according to a new report from the California State Auditor.

The report on the Los Angeles Unified School District, which this year has more than 650,000 students, was requested in March by the legislature's audit committee.

The audit follows a wave of sexual abuse allegations against employees within the last year, including accusations against a Miramonte Elementary School teacher that led to all instructors being removed from the campus.

At that school, veteran teacher Mark Berndt was accused of feeding semen-laced cookies to blindfolded students. Berndt, 61, has pleaded not guilty to related charges and is being held on $23 million bail.

Titled "Los Angeles Unified School District: It Could Do More to Improve Its Handling of Child Abuse Allegations," the document was released Thursday.

The audit found LAUSD officials often failed to appropriately notify the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing about allegations against teachers when required to do so.

When the district began attempting to improve its practices, it reported 600 cases to the commission within three months. At least 144 of those were more than a year late, and 31 of those were more than three years late.

One case of a teacher accused of a sexual relationship with a student was reported 3 1/2 years late –
meaning the commission could not determine whether to revoke the teacher's credential, so that teacher could have found work in another school district.

The audit also found that the district spent $4.2 million in 2011 "housing" employees – in facilities away from the classroom – while they were under investigation. Those employees spent on average more than 200 days being "housed," the audit said.

One employee was "housed" for 4 1/2 years, the audit found.

Further, the district did not track the cost of settlements it offers to employees who would otherwise be subject to a lengthy dismissal process. The audit reviewed 47 settlements involving allegations of inappropriate conduct of an employee toward a student, and payouts in those agreements totaled more than $2 million.

The document also noted delays in disciplining or dismissing some employees suspected of child abuse, among other criticisms.

The state audit did note improvements LAUSD has made to reporting and investigation procedures and policies, including a new tracking system for improved reporting, and the creation of a unit for investigating complex cases of suspected child abuse.

Those improvements were the focus of LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy's brief statement on the audit Thursday.

"The state report acknowledges the strong steps that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has taken over the past several months to improve the safety of students on our campuses," Deasy said. "Along with other policy changes up and down the system instituted by the District, including the 72-hour notification to parents of alleged employee misconduct at their child’s school, these steps will help to further the trust and confidence of LAUSD families that students are learning in a safe environment."

Deasy wrote State Auditor Elaine M. Howle on Nov. 1, saying the district "gladly and respectfully" accepted all the recommendations in the audit.

Those recommendations for LAUSD include:

• alerting the Commission on Teacher Credentialing about employees who need to reviewed;
• ensuring investigations and discipline measures and timely and prompt;
• increasing oversight of open allegations of employee abuse against students; and
• establishing a districtwide tracking mechanism for settlements the includes amounts paid out and descriptions of misconduct.

A civil lawsuit involving sex abuse allegations against Miramonte Elementary School is on hold until at least March, according to a lawyer representing students involved in the case.

Full Coverage: Miramonte Abuse Scandal

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday granted Luis Carrillo's application for a stay. The ruling paves the way for possible settlement negotiations to begin in November outside of court, said Carrillo, who represents 20 students and 14 mothers.

Carrillo said he has asked for a temporary delay in the case so the plaintiffs and the lawyers for the Los Angeles Unified School District can engage in settlement discussions and avoid exposing the children to the pain of a lengthy trial.

"This helps the kids," Carrillo said. "This is very extraordinary to have settlement discussions at the beginning of the case. I believe the district is acting in good faith by agreeing to this process. We want justice for the kids and to help them get over the memories of these episodes."

David Holmquist, general counsel for the LAUSD, said the district has been exploring alternative means to address civil claims in this matter without the potential pain of a lengthy trial.

"We are pleased that the court granted the stay," Holmquist said in a statement. "We believe it will provide us with the ability to address these claims in a matter that respects the needs and emotions of those impacted."

The civil lawsuit was filed on behalf of students and parents who have alleged sexual misconduct against former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt.

Berndt and another former Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, were arrested on sex abuse charges earlier this year.

The allegations prompted LA schools Superintendent John Deasy to take the unprecedented step of removing all the other teachers while officials investigated whether there were any other allegations of abuse.

A separate criminal case against Berndt and Springer is pending.

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Thousands of students headed back to school on Tuesday -- about three weeks earlier than usual -- under a new calendar officials hope will improve grades.

The early-start calendar allows students to complete their first semester prior to winter break, which has been shown to have a positive impact on final examinations.

Under the early calendar, the last day of the 2012/2013 school year will be May 31, 2013.

Among the campuses starting classes on Tuesday was Miramonte Elementary School, where a sex scandal broke in the winter.

Full Coverage: Miramonte Abuse Scandal

Two teachers were arrested on sex abuse charges and LA schools Superintendent John Deasy took the unprecedented step of removing all the other teachers while officials investigated whether there were any other allegations of abuse.

A new principal was installed and 38 teachers, who were initially removed, were allowed to return to the campus on Tuesday.

Deasy and the new principal, Marta Contreras, said restoring trust was the biggest priority.

“The parents’ faith has been with us,” Deasy said. “We have taken care of students who were victimized … We are very clear when responding to an adult who does things that are totally inappropriate -- we fire them and then we work with officials to prosecute them, and we support the schools, just like we’ve been doing.”

Contreras said Miramonte teachers will hold a community meeting next month with parents to talk about the school's renewed mission in the wake of the arrests of former Miramonte teachers Mark Berndt and Martin Springer, who face sex abuse charges in court this week.

On Tuesday, Miramonte boasted 93 percent attendance and Contreras said parents will be allowed to visit their children's classrooms.

The teachers, meanwhile, who were removed from the school in a controversial move, and were sent back on Tuesday, wanted to move forward.

"Personally, I didn't do anything," said Andrea Schaffer, a teacher who returned to the school on Tuesday. "And I don't really feel badly. I'm going to come out here ... I'm going to be happy to be here."

Parents were cautiously optimistic about sending their children back to school there.

Parent Patricia Andrade said she will remind her child to be careful.

"If they see something strange, tell us," she said.

Officials hope the new school calendar will give students a stronger competitive advantage because they’ll be able to complete all their classes in a semester that finishes before winter break, Deasy said.

It’s one of several changes at Los Angeles Unified School District Schools this year, including a revamped menu that cuts down on sugar and salt and a new breakfast menu at 279 LAUSD elementary schools.

“We’re really trying to balance out the students’ palates, along with the nutritional content that we’re required to meet by the USDA,” said Enrique Boull’t, LAUSD’s chief operating officer.

The district has also cut down on overcrowding as 20 new schools have opened this year, adding 129 seats, said Monica Garcia, the LAUSD School Board president.

“We do not have overcrowding in Los Angeles,” she said. “We do not have forced busing. We used to have 227 schools on year-round. Now we are down to three that started in July.”

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For Miramonte Elementary School, next Tuesday will mark more than the start of a new school year. It will be, in-effect, the reboot of a school shaken by charges last February that two teachers were accused of sexually abusing students.

"My concern is for student safety and academics," said Martha Contreras, Miramonte Elementary School principal.

Contreras came to the South LA school as an assistant principal last spring, when the school and community were reeling from the abuse scandal. Now, she’s taken on pressing challenges as the school’s new principal.

"I think there's a layer of things that needs to be done here at Miramonte. Number one is re-establishing the trust," she said.

Following the arrest of two Miramonte teachers accused of sexually abusing students, the school’s entire staff was replaced by substitutes last February.

Timeline: Miramonte School Scandal

Those former teachers – Mark Berndt and Martin Springer – are both scheduled to be in court next week as their former school is rebooting.

Parents and staff rallied to bring them back and dozens of the relocated teachers are returning in the fall, but not without anxiety.

"These teachers continue to suffer the aftershocks of everything that happened at Miramonte," said Ingrid Villeda, with the United Teachers of Los Angeles union.

Villeda told NBC4 the returning teachers don’t want to speak out publicly ahead of the new school year, as they did in May, but they do hope the administration will schedule a meeting with parents to deal with lingering concerns.

"They want to make sure the parents and kids feel comfortable," Villeda said.

Contreras said a community meeting is in the works.

Enrollment will be lower when Miramonte starts on Aug. 14, partly due to plans set before the abuse scandal broke.

Several hundred students will transfer to a new school nearby that was already in the works to ease overcrowding. A dozen teachers will relocate with them, having helped draft the education plan for the new site while they were on relocation.

Principals throughout LA say they are aware of the expectation of vigilance on their part.

"The principal is the first line of defense," Contreras said.

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After an attorney who represents families suing LAUSD over sexual abuse allegations renewed his calls for a federal investigation Friday, the FBI issued a statement saying it was not looking into the case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed Friday that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was the only agency investigating allegations of sexual abuse against students by teacher Mark Berndt at Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

Miramonte Abuse Scandal: Timeline, Articles, Videos

Earlier Friday, attorney Brian Claypool conducted a press conference to call attention to his request for a federal investigation. Showing a June 5 letter he received from the FBI stating the agency wanted more information, Claypool said a federal investigation was imminent.

"We've been in touch with them. They're very close to doing a federal investigation. They need additional information," Claypool said.

The FBI's initial June 5 response to Claypool said its Crimes Against Children Unit has "reviewed the information you provided and determined that this information may warrant additional investigation."

At his Pasadena press conference, Claypool urged victims' families to contact the FBI.

But a statement from FBI spokeswoman Laura Eilmiller issued later Friday contradicted Claypool's claim that the agency was close to investigating.

"The FBI has consulted with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department concerning the alleged crimes at the Miramonte School in South Los Angeles to determine whether prosecution is warranted at the federal or state level, or both, based on the evidence available to investigators," read the statement issued by Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles field office.

"At this time, prosecution is being pursued solely by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the investigative agency is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "

Eimiller's statement added the FBI had provided "forensic assistance" to local investigators in this case.

Berndt has pleaded not guilty to 23 felonies for lewd acts with children aged 7 to 10 years old – charges that have turned a spotlight on how the massive school district handles allegations of abuse. Berndt, 61, is being held at the Men's Central Jail in downtown LA on $23 million bail.

Claypool had previously requested that the office of state Attorney General Kamala Harris conduct an independent investigation – a request he said was rebuffed.

Claypool represents 11 alleged victims of abuse at Miramonte Elementary in one of several lawsuits filed against Los Angeles Unified School District. His suit, filed in May, is one of several that are seeking redress from the district in relation to the alleged crimes at the school.

At the press conference Friday, Claypool compared the situation at Miramonte to the sexual abuse crimes at Pennsylvania State University. He said he wanted the former FBI director Louis Freeh – who Thursday issued a scathing report on Penn State's handling of allegations against coach Jerry Sandusky – to investigate LAUSD.

"Call Mr. Freeh. He's available," Claypool said he would tell LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. 

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Attorneys representing 14 mothers of students at Miramonte Elementary School announced Tuesday the filing of a lawsuit that alleges the school district did not protect their children from a teacher accused of lewd acts involving children.

Timeline: Miramonte School Sex Abuse Scandal

The lawsuit claims the Los Angeles Unified School District was negligent in the case of former teacher Mark Berndt, charged with lewd acts involving at least 20 children at the school.

Berndt was arrested in January.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday morning, claims the children were sexually abused by Berndt between 2002 and 2011, and that the LAUSD "was negligent and did not protect their children from sexual abuses; and that the Los Angeles Unified School District completely ignored previous complaints," according to a statement from attorney Luis A. Carrillo.

"Fourteen moms have suffered anguish and emotional distress as a result of what their children went through," Carrillo said Tuesday.

None of the plaintiffs were aware of Berndt's alleged activities, Carrillo added.

David Holmquist, LAUSD General Counsel, issued a statement Tuesday morning regarding the lawsuit: "The safety and well-being of our students, staff and the entire Los Angeles Unified School District community is our paramount priority. The District is committed to working with the Miramonte community and everyone impacted by these incidents to improve trust and promote healing. While the District has yet to receive the latest complaint, we are continuing our efforts to ensure that we are doing everything possible to provide a safe learning and working environment for our students and staff.

"As we gear up for the new school year, we look forward to continuing the healing process as we welcome back the teachers and staff, who were displaced during last year’s investigation into these incidents, to Miramonte and other campuses. We recognize how difficult the past year was on the entire Miramonte community, and are moving forward together."

In May, parents of about a dozen ex-Miramonte Elementary students filed another lawsuit against the school district. That complaint alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A similar complaint was filed earlier that month on behalf of 20 former students at the school.

The charges against Berndt involve 23 children who were 7 to 10 years old. His arrest stemmed from an investigation that began after a film processor -- mandated by state law to report child abuse -- provided photos to sheriff's deputies.

Some of the photos depicted children with blindfolds over their eyes, cockroaches on their faces and a blue plastic spoon held to their mouths. Some pictures showed Berndt with his arm around the children or his hand over their  mouths, according to investigators.

Detectives found a blue plastic spoon and an empty container in a trash bin in Berndt's classroom, according to the sheriff's department. Both items tested positive for semen, and DNA testing matched it to Berndt, according to authorities.

Deputies recovered more than 100 similar photos at Berndt's home, according to investigators. The film processor later discovered more photos.

Berndt was suspended without pay in February 2011 and allowed to resign in June 2011 after a $40,000 settlement with the LAUSD.

Berndt pleaded not guilty.

His arrest was followed by another Miramonte Elementary teacher and the dismissal of the entire school staff. Martin Bernard Springer is charged with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14.

The cases led to legislation designed to expedite the disciplinary review process for teachers accused of sexual abuse. That bill failed to clear the Assembly Education Committee last month.

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Legislation that would have expedited the disciplinary review process for teachers accused of sexual abuse failed to clear the Assembly Education Committee Wednesday.

Senate Bill 1530, sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla,  would have made streamlined the process for firing teachers accused of crimes involving sexual abuse, violence and drug offenses.

LAUSD Superintedent John Deasy blamed powerful lobbying forces for the bill's rejection.

"When we want students' rights protected, maybe we need a union," said Deasy

The bill was written out of response to the Miramonte Elementary scandal in which two teachers were charged with sexually abusing students.

Ongoing Coverage: Miramonte School Investigation

It would have allowed evidence more than four years old to be considered in dismissal hearings, which supporters contend may have brought the Miramonte case to light sooner.

The bill also would have sped up the firing process for teachers accused of sex crimes, drug offenses and child abuse by having those cases heard by an administrative law judge. The final decision would have been determined by the school district.

But the legislation was strongly opposed by teachers unions, which insisted that steps were already in place which should have prevented the Miramonte situation and others like it.

"I think it's shameful," said Deasy. "I think the vote and what eventually has happened has been shameful for students and for employees in the State of California.

"We basically have said that students who are brutally molested by employees, we cannot actually expedite their firing. I am disheartened, but undeterred. But I am incredibly disheartened."

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More than 20 complaints of lewd acts against former students at Miramonte Elementary were allegedly ignored or neglected by school and LAUSD administrators, according to a lawsuit filed on May 4 against the district.

The negligence suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of 20 former Miramonte students, accuses all but one Los Angeles Unified School District board member and two former Miramonte principals of not properly reacting to or preparing for complaints of sexual abuse.

The suit says the district has allegedly been ignoring complaints by former students of Mark Berndt — charged in January with 23 counts of committing lewd acts on children — since 1990.

The case is the first negligence suit of such magnitude against the district regarding the Miramonte scandal that played out in January, said prosecuting attorney Luis Carrillo.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

Within the next week, Carrillo plans to file another lawsuit on behalf of about a dozen of the victims’ mothers who have allegedly sustained emotional injuries.

If a jury eventually awards damages to the victims, it could include putting “all of the kids in therapy for emotional damages” and more, making it too premature to estimate a dollar amount, Carrillo said.

The suit cited “emotional anguish, distress and pain” and “generalized shock and trauma to the nervous system” as effects of the district’s negligence.

In addition to allegedly ignoring filed complaints by victims, defendants are accused of “lacking policies and procedures” to ensure children's safety and susceptibility to sexual abuse, and sustaining “a hostile environment against children who have been victims of sexual abuse by teachers.”

They’re also accused of “cover[ing] up” the abuse, and failing to “remove teachers from the classroom…when students and/or parents report[ed] sexual misconduct.”

Court Documents: Negligence Complaint

Prosecutors don’t expect the district to settle, as they hired attorneys Carrillo described as “pretty vicious.”

Carrillo believes earlier incidents in the 1990s that allegedly weren’t addressed by administrators enabled the string of abuse charges against the suit’s plaintiffs that occurred between 2002 and 2011.

“He felt so empowered by the first ignored alarm bells,” Carrillo said.

Though LAUSD has implemented structural changes at Miramonte, Carrillo believes this lawsuit could lead to district-wide improvements.

“Out of this tragedy will come a benefit,” Carrillo said. “Remedial changes will be put in place…these lawsuits will shape the district to its core.”

LAUSD will not comment on pending litigation.

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Miramonte Elementary School teachers who were transferred out in the wake of a sex abuse scandal spoke out Thursday afternoon about their time working at a yet-to-be opened high school across town.

The "UTLA South Area Action" was held at Augustus Hawkins High School, where the teachers were reassigned Feb. 13 after two Miramonte teachers were arrested in separate sex abuse cases.

The teachers have been quiet during the ordeal, even warned by union officials not to speak out for fear of retaliation.

"It was surreal and I thought to myself what did I do to deserve this? We were kept in the dark," one former Miramonte teacher said. "I found myself having to dress up just to raise my spirits and feel like I was going to work."

Even though the reassigned teachers came forward Thursday, they would not identify themselves as they read anonymous statements, written and drafted by former Miramonte Elementary teachers.

"I no longer tell people I am a teacher. Until very recently I was proud to be one. I still am sort of in my own quiet way," another former Miramonte teacher said through tears.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

The words represent the collective voice of nearly 90 teachers and a total of 128 staffers who were transferred to the high school under construction in February after the arrest of two former teachers on charges of sexual abuse against students.

It's the first time they have come forward following the move by LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. Deasy has previously said he took the unprecedented move to try and preserve the integrity of the sex abuse investigation.

In an interview with NBC4's Conan Nolan, Deasy defended his decision.

The 128 former Miramonte employees reported to work at Hawkins in February where they were assigned to receive counseling, be interviewed by officials investigating abuse allegations at their former school, and prepare school lessons.

Faculty and staff were not to have contact with children during their time at the 15-acre campus, which is still under construction and is expected to open this fall.

The teachers are expected to go back to Miramonte next year, if there are positions for them.

"They were moved out with a staff of 85. Next year they'll be returning to a site with a staff of 45, so we have an outstanding number of teachers that are now left having to interview for jobs," said Ingrid Villeda, UTLA South Area chair.

LAUSD would not comment on the incident despite repeated requests.

After reports about the scandal broke, Miramonte was shut down for two days, but students returned Feb. 9.

UTLA protested the transfer along with parents, saying it would have damaging effects on their children’s academic progress and is unfair to teachers who did nothing wrong.

UTLA has filed a grievance on behald of the teachers.

Parents and guardians of LAUSD students will now be informed within 72 hours of sexual misconduct allegations against school employees, according to a news release from the school district.

Ongoing Coverage: School Abuse Scandal

The new policy, set to be completed by the start of the 2012-13 school year, mandates parents be told if a "certified employee" at their child’s school has been removed from the classroom amid allegations of sexual misconduct against students.

The alterations come in light of a spate of teacher abuse scandals, during which parents and school employees expressed outrage that some cases took months to come to light.

Parents and staff at Telfair Elementary School were informed in February about the Oct. 2011 arrest of a third grade teacher at that school.

Paul Chapel, of Chatsworth, was accused of sexually abusing four kids under 14-years-old, including one student, over the span of 30 weeks between Sept. 13, 2010, and April 5, 2011.

"People were angry, and rightfully so," Nury Martinez, a board member who represents the northeast San Fernando Valley area that includes Telfair Elementary School, told NBC 4 in February.

Wednesday’s policy change follows a unanimous approval of resolutions authored by Martinez and board member Tamar Galatzan calling for changes to how the district informed parents about alleged teacher abuse.

The district’s previous policy did not specify a deadline for informing parents and guardians about alleged teacher misconduct.

Parents at the Telfair Elementary were only informed that Chapel was removed from the classroom, but not why.

LAUSD officials said they delayed notification, which was largely accomplished by a slew of news reports, because they "could not comprise the police investigation."

Police said they would not ask the school district to withhold notifying parents of the allegations, according to a February statement.

That circumstance, however, is the only caveat in the district’s new mandate, according to the release. Parents would not be notified if law enforcement specifically asked the school to withhold that information.

"The intent with our policy has always been to enable law enforcement to conduct investigations in an environment free from bias, and to let parents and guardians know within a reasonable amount of time if a teacher has been accused of a serious offense," said LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. "We believe that the new rule strikes the proper balance between the two."

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Prosecutors building a case against Mark Berndt, the former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd acts involving at least 20 children, said Wednesday they are still going through "a lot" of photos and working to identify new potential victims.

Full Coverage: Case Timeline | About Miramonte Elementary

"There are a lot of photographs where the children have not been identified and that is still under investigation," said Sandi Gibbons, Los Angeles County District Attorney's office spokeswoman.

During Wednesday's court hearing downtown, Berndt's attorney, Victor Acevedo, asked for copies of the photos, but a judge denied the request.

Acevedo also asked the judge to lower Berndt's bond from $23 million to $1 million. The judge denied the request, saying the defendant is still a danger to the public and victims, who are dealing with emotional trauma.

"I'm really disappointed that unfortunately we didn't get even somewhere near what I would consider to be reasonable under the circumstances," Acevedo said.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 1.

Outside of court, Berndt's attorney said his client is being harassed in jail and officials are turning a blind eye to the abuse.

"My understanding is that some of the issues of harassment at the hands of other inmates have been under the watchful eyes of some deputies who haven't done anything," Acevedo said.

Berndt, 61, was arrested Jan. 31 on suspicion of felony molestation with 23 children ages 6 to 10 years old. The former teacher allegedly blindfolded students, placed roaches on their faces and dangled spoons filled with semen near their mouths, according to prosecutors.

He has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Ongoing Coverage: Miramonte School Investigation | School Abuse Scandal

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The Republican caucus in Sacramento won a race to legislative bipartisanship Tuesday, in embracing the request from the LA Unified School District for changes in state law dealing with problem teachers.

"It's not a partisan issue," said Sen. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo.

And to make the point, the Republican caucus cited a letter from Democratic L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigos to Gov. Jerry Brown calling for action.  "Republicans stand with Mayor Villaraigosa," read the till now unlikely headline on the announcement.

A Democrat in the legislature, State Senator Alex Padilla of the San Fernando Valley, has also expressed interest in carrying a bill for LAUSD. 

The impetus for the changes stems from the Miramonte Elementary School abuse scandal and the series of teacher misconduct allegationse that has followed it, triggering public outrage. 

Mark Berndt was accused of mistreating children at Miramonte Elementary with cockroaches and cookies tainted with bodily fluid. What further troubled  many is that while trying to fire Berndt, the school district allowed him to resign, and agreed to pay him a $40,000 settlement, in addition to his pension.

In the wake of this, LAUSD leadership saw both the need to respond, and  the opportunity to press for long-sought changes that date back years before the Miramonte uproar, and in some cases deal only tangentialy with the issue of removing teachers who have committed crimes.

The District's legal office presented a list of"Top Ten Recommended Legislative Changes."  They include:  allowing districts to go back more than four years when citing misconduct; permitting the dismissal process to proceed during summer vacation; making state appeal hearings advisory, rather than binding; and stripping pensions from teachers who are convicted of school-related felonies.

Teachers unions, including United Teachers Los Angeles, have suggested the real problem is not the law, but a lack of district vigilance.

"What we're doing is, we seem to be calling for changes that will cause things to be the way they already are," said Warren Fletcher, UTLA president. "The district has the ability to remove a teacher form a school at any time."

Agreeing with that--to a point--are some of the Republican lawmakers calling for change.

"I think sometimes people complain about the processes as an excuse for lethargy and for doing nothing," said Assemblyman Chris Norby, R-Fullerton.

The Republican caucus is planning to introduce its bill Thursday.  State Senator Padilla has not indicated when the Democratic version will be ready, nor how it will differ.  Democrats traditionally have had closer relationships with California's teachers unions than Republicans.

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Although it's become conventional wisdom that the process for firing substandard teachers is too cumbersome, an NBC4 investigation found that the Los Angeles Unified School District has had little difficulty firing more than 1,000 teachers in recent years.

Within the past year, LAUSD has terminated 853 teachers, and only a fraction are pursuing appeals. Records show that since 2009, no fired teacher who went through the entire appeals process to a ruling has been reinstated.

On Tuesday, the School Board is scheduled to consider a resolution calling for a change in state law to expedite firing teachers for cause, and give districts the final word.  Under the proposal by Board Member Tamar Galatzan, appeal decisions would only be advisory, and could not compel a district to rehire a teacher.

In recent years, even without any change to state law, the district has been more aggressive in firing educators, according to  LAUSD's Human Resources Chief Vivan Ekchian.

"We have taken many more cases to the Board of Education to initiate dismissal based on performance," Ekchian said. "And that has been a dramatic change."

Those terminated are entitled to have their case heard at an administrative hearing, but the reality is, the vast majority do not choose to do so.

Since 2010, 79 terminated teachers have requested hearings: 21 are still pending and 56 were resolved prior to a hearing, according to Alicia Boomer, staff counsel of California's Office of Administrative Hearings.

Only two teachers stayed with their appeals to the point of administrative hearing rulings. Both lost.

"Most of those settlements that are entered into result in the resignation of the individual," said Alfred Molina, Chief Labor & Employment Counsel for LAUSD.

Miramonte Abuse Scandal | School Abuse Scandal

Regardless, School Board member Nury Martinez and Board President Monica Garcia joined Galatzan in arguing that the termination process needs to be "streamlined" to make it faster and less costly to the district.

Board members described the recent sex abuse scandal at Los Angeles schools as a “wake up call” to state legislators.

Galatzan argues that the appeals process can take between two and seven years. She said the longest and most-expensive firing in district history cost more than $1.6 million to get the teacher dismissed and to defend the lawsuit.

Others are swiftly fired, she said, only to be ordered reinstated on appeal--however, records obtained by NBC4 show that has not happened within the last three years.

"Many cases we rehire an individual who we don't feel comfortable returning to the classroom just have to house this person," Galatzan said. "The cost is a deterrent to doing what's right for the schools and for the children."

United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren Fletcher said the union supports the measures to increase student safety, but said they do not absolve the district of blame for the recent spate of sex abuse cases.

"While the school board considers changes to policy, it is important to remember that we are in the current situation because LAUSD has not met basic standards of vigilance on a daily basis," Fletcher said in a statement.

"LAUSD’s failure of supervision led to a situation at Miramonte Elementary where a single principal supervised staff and more than 1,400 students, with no assistant principal," Fletcher said.

Legislators including State Senator Alex Padilla (D-San Ferndando Valley) and Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff (Diamond Bar) have expressed interest in carrying legislation to reform the teacher dismissal process.

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Saying the LA Unified School District "missed major warning bells," a lawyer representing students allegedly abused by a Miramonte Elementary School teacher announced on Friday the filing of damage claims against the nation's second largest school district.

Attorney Luis Carrillo made the announcement on behalf of 13 parents and 20 children, six of them among the 23 victims named as victims alleged in the criminal complaint.

Full Coverage: Miramonte Sex Abuse Scandal

"The school did not protect the children," Carrillo said during a press conference in front of LAUSD headquarters in downtown L.A. "There was major, major warning signs - major alarm bells ringing off throughout the years."

Carrillo contends the LA School District was negligent in not taking action sooner against Berndt, the former Miramonte teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct dating to 2005.

It was six years later that he was removed from the classroom. Carrillo cited media revelations that parents had raised questions about Berndt's conduct as far back as 1991.

Carrillo said the case is all about "the negligence of the school district that fell asleep and did not protect our kids."

Carrillo would not say if any of the families he represents had complained about Berndt prior to
the announcement of his arrest at the end of January.

Carrillo hopes the claim - a precursor to a lawsuit - will force the district to improve training for the district's teachers, faculty and staff when abuse against students is alleged.

LAUSD officials declined to comment, citing district policy against making statements on pending lawsuits.

Carrillo joins at least two other lawyers representing Miramonte families alleging abuse.

Attorney Brian Claypool alleged “a massive cover-up” by the school district that allowed abusive behavior for two decades.

Claypool's claim seeks damages for emotional distress and calls on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to broaden its investigation into the the school going back 20 years, after a student reportedly made the first complaint about Berndt’s alleged inappropriate behavior.

In his claim, attorney Raymond Boucher alleged the district “did not take adequate steps to prevent the abuse from occurring over and over again.”

 Full Coverage: School Abuse

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The former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of taking photos of blindfolded and gagged children, some with spoons of semen held to their mouths, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of committing lewd acts involving more than 20 children.

Full Coverage: Case Timeline, LAUSD "Rubber Room" | About Miramonte Elementary

Mark Berndt is one of two former teachers at the Florence school accused of lewd acts with students. Three uniformed deputies escorted Berndt into the downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday morning.

Berndt, 61, was arrested Jan. 30 after an investigation prompted by a film processor's discovery of about 40 photos of children, ages 7 to 10. Berndt allegedly committed the crimes between 2005 and 2011.

He has been jailed on $23 million bond since the arrest at his Torrance home. He was ordered Tuesday to remain in custody and appear for a March 28 court date.

During Tuesday's proceeding, Berndt's defender expressed concerns for his client's safety. Jailers called Berndt a "child molester" over the speakerphone system and announced his location, according to defense attorney Victor Acevedo.

"The concern is for his safety," Acevedo said after Tuesday's proceedings. "We cannot have the sheriff's department deputies acting in such a way to, essentially, put a bullseye on his head."

Sheriff's officials said they would look into the allegations.

The Berndt investigation began about a year ago after the film processor, a mandated child abuse reporter by state law, turned over the photos to sheriff's deputies. Some of the photos depicted children with blindfolds over their eyes, cockroaches on their faces and a blue plastic spoon held to their mouths. Some pictures showed Berndt with his arm around the children or his hand over their  mouths, according to investigators.

Detectives found a blue plastic spoon and an empty container in a trash bin in Berndt's classroom, according to the sheriff's department. Both items tested positive for semen, and DNA testing matched it to Berndt, according to authorities.

Deputies recovered more than 100 similar photos at Berndt's home, according to investigators. The film processor later discovered more photos. More than 26 children were identified in the 390 total  photos, but about 10 of them have not been identified.

Berndt was suspended without pay in February 2011. He was allowed to resign June 30 after a $40,000 settlement with the LAUSD.

The arrests of Berndt and Martin Bernard Springer, who pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of lewd act upon a child, set off outrage and led to the dismissal of the entire Miramonte Elementary School staff. Springer is free on  $300,000 bail, awaiting his next court appearance April 16.

The school was shut down for two days earlier this month as new staff members were transitioned into classrooms. 

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It’s called the "rubber room" -- a popular name for a reassignment center many say is emblematic of what is wrong with public education.

The rubber room is where teachers accused of everything from drug abuse to sexual harassment are sent to do nothing, but still collect a salary, benefits and accrue time toward pensions.

"Several of the people I know in rubber rooms have been there two years, some people as long as five years," said Leonard Isenberg, a disciplined LAUSD teacher. "You don’t just sit there. You can’t do anything. Think of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo, with a paycheck."

The Los Angeles Unified School District has 161 teachers assigned to various offices throughout the district. It’s a policy LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy is trying to change – as in the case with former Miramonte Elementary School teacher and accused child molester, Mark Berndt.

"Traditionally what the district has done is to say we put you in an office, we pay you, and we wait for all the stuff to happen," Deasy said. "I am not acting that way."

There are plenty of teachers who support efforts to get rid of reassignment centers, but for different reasons.

Leonard Isenberg, who taught in the district for 25 years, said he ended up in one after repeatedly complaining that his school, Central Continuation High School, was graduating students with second-grade reading levels.

He said that angered the principal, and that led to accusations of him yelling at students and watching pornography in class.

Isenberg used his time in the rubber room to create a web site, perdaily.com, which looks critically at the district, reassignment centers and its discipline procedure.

He was ultimately fired by the district, but still has an appeal hearing later this year. Isenberg said the district’s procedures make teachers guilty until proven innocent and fearful of false accusations.

"The students know they can get teachers in trouble by just saying anything," Isenberg said.

Retired teacher and California Teachers Empowerment Network president Larry Sand said rubber rooms are necessary and are not going away anytime soon.

"There’s arbitration and hearings and all sorts of things that have to take place before a teacher would actually lose his job," Sand said. "If he’s not in the classroom, they have to put him somewhere."

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A LAUSD substitute teacher and a group of parents are calling on LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy to resign in the wake of molestation allegations against teachers in the nation’s second largest school district.

“If this happened under his watch, then he needs to be held accountable as well,” said LAUSD substitute teacher David Garcia. “He cannot sidestep his culpability, his guilt, in this situation.”

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

The call for Deasy's resignation came as Deasy released a video statement to the district's 84,000 employees and staff, reminding them to review a packet of information on child abuse awareness.

“I ask that you as a staff you set aside time to review the special training you are going to receive from our experts,” Deasy said in the four-minute video.

Teachers and staff will be required to review reporting forms about what to do if there is suspicion that a child has been abused physically or mentally.

Deasy stressed to employees that the arrests of two teachers at Miramonte Elementary School for sex crimes “do not reflect on you or your professionalism.

“Just because a few members have done terrible things, that are being dealt with appropriately by law enforcement officials, that does not reflect on the amazing teaching, leadership and classified staff that I see every day in LAUSD,” Deasy said.

The former Miramonte employees reported to work at the yet-to-be opened Augustus Hawkins High School where they are getting counseling and are being interviewed by officials investigating abuse allegations at Miramonte, Deasy said.

A new staff of teachers, meanwhile, has taken on duties at Miramonte, where each classroom has a teacher and a counselor to support the students.

“Let me be very clear,” Deasy said. “After all our investigations are complete, and no additional issues emerge, every staff member of Miramonte who is now at Augustus Hawkins will have the opportunity to return to the school.”

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LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy plans to send on Monday a video message to the district's 84,000 employees and staff, reminding them to review a packet of steps they must take for any unacceptable behavior by teachers, staff, parents or community members against students.

“I ask that you as a staff you set aside time to review the special training you are going to receive from our experts,” Deasy said in the four-minute video, which was posted first on the dailynews.com website on Friday.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

Teachers and staff will be required to review reporting forms about what to do if there is suspicion that a child has been abused physically or mentally.

Deasy stressed to employees that the arrests of two teachers at Miramonte Elementary School for sex crimes “do not reflect on you or your professionalism.

“Just because a few members have done terrible things, that are being dealt with appropriately by law enforcement officials, that does not reflect on the amazing teaching, leadership and classified staff that I see every day in LAUSD,” Deasy said.

The former Miramonte employees reported to work at the yet-to-be opened Augustus Hawkins High School where they are getting counseling and are being interviewed by officials investigating abuse allegations at Miramonte, Deasy said.

A new staff of teachers, meanwhile, has taken on duties at Miramonte, where each classroom has a teacher and a counselor to support the students.

“Let me be very clear,” Deasy said. “After all our investigations are complete, and no additional issues emerge, every staff member of Miramonte who is now at Augustus Hawkins will have the opportunity to return to the school.”

City News Service contributed to this report.

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The Los Angeles Unified School District has launched an internal investigation to determine why a state agency on teacher credentialing was not notified in a timely manner about the case of a former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd acts involving children.

Miramonte School Scandal: Timeline of Events, Superintendent Interviews

In a statement released Friday announcing the investigation, Superintendent John Deasy said he was made aware of a letter dated Wednesday from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The CTC's letter stated concerns about the notification timeline involving former teacher Mark Berndt -- accused of felony molestation involving 23 children ages 7 to 10 years old.

State regulators require reports when a teacher's employment status changes, but the LAUSD failed to do so until nearly a year after dismissal proceedings against the 61-year-old Berndt. Failure to notify the state agency about the case posed a "potential risk to student safety," according to the commission's letter.

"LAUSD acknowledges that in the case of Mark Berndt, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was not notified within the required timeline of Berndt’s change in employment status," Deasy said in Friday's statement. "State law requires that school districts report changes in a teacher’s employment status as a result of allegations of misconduct within 30 days of the change in employment status."

In February of 2011, the district suspended Berndt from his teaching position at Miramonte and notified him that they intended to fire him. Berndt was allowed to resign on June 30 after a $40,000 settlement with the district.

The LAUSD notified the CTC of Berndt's change in employment status a day after sheriff's deputies arrested Berndt on Jan. 30, according to the LAUSD. The commission suspended Berndt's credentials the same day he was arrested.

"The failure to timely notify the CTC in this case, is contrary to standard district practice," said Deasy in the statement. "I have immediately launched an internal investigation to determine the reasons for the untimely notice in this case."

A district spokesman told KPCC that if officials informed the credentialing commission of Berndt's status at the time he was being fired, they would have compromised the police investigation.

The letter from the commission states that "failure to make a report required under this section constitutes unprofessional conduct. The Committee may investigate any superintendent who holds a credential who fails to file reports required by this section."

Berndt is one of two former Miramonte teachers accused of lewd acts involving students.

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One of two former Miramonte Elementary School teachers accused in a child abuse scandal that led to outrage in the community and a staff shakeup at the Florence school appeared in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

Full Coverage: Miramonte School Scandal | Timeline of Events

Martin Bernard Springer arrived with his attorney at about 10:30 a.m. Springer, 49, is charged with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14.

He was ordered to return to court April 16.

He was released from jail a week ago after posting bond. Springer was ordered last week to wear a GPS monitoring device and stay 100 yards away from all potential witnesses. He must remain 250 feet away from schools, parks and playgrounds.

He also is prohibited from being in the company of minors without a supervising adult.

Springer’s arrest came after colleague Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested in connection with photos of students that authorities said depicted children with blindfolds over their eyes -- some of the children had spoons of semen held to their mouths as part of what Berndt allegedly called "tasting games."

Berndt is charged with committing lewd acts against 23 students.

No connection has been established between the two teachers. Berndt remains jailed on $23 million bail.

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The LA school district violated state law by waiting nearly a year to inform the state agency overseeing teacher credentials that it had moved to dismiss a former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd acts with children in his classroom, according to KPCC.

LAUSD spokesman Thomas Waldman told KPCC that officials felt that if they informed the Commission on Teacher Credentialing that they were in the process of firing teacher Mark Berndt, they would have compromised a police investigation into sex abuse allegations against the teacher.

“We did not, during the course of the investigation inform the CTC about Berndt," Waldman told KPCC. "We contacted the Sheriff's Department over the course of the year on 15 occasions to check on the status of the investigation and our ability to move forward.

“We were told they were conducting an investigation, that we were to refrain from taking any actions that could jeopardize the completion of the investigation, so that was interpreted on our end as not informing the commission regarding Mr. Berndt's status."

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

A letter from the state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing sent on Wednesday to Deasy says the failure to file the report poses a potential safety risk to students and the committee may "investigate any superintendent who holds a credential who fails to file reports."

The commission suspended Berndt's credential on Jan. 31, the same day he was arrested and charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct on children.

But according to the state code of regulations and the education code, the LAUSD should have informed the credentialing commission of Berndt's February 2011 suspension without pay by mid-March of 2011.

Berndt was allowed to resign on June 30 after a $40,000 settlement with the district.

In addition to Berndt, a second teacher at Miramonte was arrested.

Martin Bernard Springer, 49, faces three counts of lewd acts on a child over a three-month period in 2009, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was released from custody after posting bail.

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It began with lewd conduct charges and the arrest of two former teachers at Miramonte Elementary School. Two weeks later, similar allegations were leveled against two teachers at two other schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Shocked parents have been left wondering how these allegations – if true – could have happened, and what they can do to help keep their children safe.

Children’s advocate and author Pattie Fitzgerald thinks the media exposure of the events will not cause more attacks on children, however, it might help bring more incidents to the attention of parents.

"I think it may result in more disclosures because parents are now starting to talk to their children and look at the other adults that interact with their kids in a different way," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald says the allegations should remind parents to remain in constant contact with their children and remind them about what she calls thumbs up and thumbs down acts.

"The first thing I tell children is they are the boss of their bodies. That means if something feels wrong you can say no or stop, even to an adult or a bigger kid," Fitzgerald said.

With additional allegations come fears that not all will be valid. Fitzgerald doesn’t buy it.

"There’s always the possibility that a child will say well that happened to me too because they see the attention being drawn to another child but in reality kids don't make this stuff up," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald reminds parents to be proactive and not to lessen their guard even with people they know well. Also she stresses getting familiar the adults that interact with children at school.

"Every once in a while you pop into that class and say, 'So glad my daughter is here,' love hearing about what you guys do every day," Fitzgerald. "Because it puts that person on notice that this is not a child or parent that you can mess with."

Fitzgerald’s new book, "No Trespassing-This is My Body, is aimed at children as young as 3 years old. Its theme is teaching kids not to keep secrets.

The advice she urges parents to give kids: "It's okay to tell, in fact you should tell. There are no secrets from mom and dad," Fitzgerald said.

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Some of the parents at the Miramonte Elementary School in Florence took a petition to the Los Angeles School District Tuesday to ask that the original teachers be returned to the school.

One of the parents, Guadalupe Garcia, said removing the teachers was disruptive for the children.

Dozens of parents signed the petition and the teachers’ union provided a bus to take the parents to the district headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

All of the teachers were transferred after two Miramonte teachers were arrested on child molestation charges.

Since the arrests, sheriff’s investigators have been pulling students out of class to speak to them after asking their parents’ permission.

But some of the parents want the questioning of children to stop and they want the investigators to leave the campus.

But Sheriff’s investigators said they would be there indefinitely.

Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca sent a letter in both English and Spanish to the families of Miramonte’s 1,500 students.

In it, he asked anyone with information to come forward and he promised the department would not ask anyone about their immigration status. He said personal information would not be shared with immigration authorities.

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Police are pulling students out of class at Miramonte Elementary School to interview them as part of the continuing investigation into the arrests of two former teachers charged with committing lewd acts against children under 14 years old, officials said.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

Parents have been notified that their children are being interviewed, but are not allowed to sit in on the discussions, according to Sgt. Pete Hahn of the Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit.

Students tend to be more open when their parents are not present, Hahn told NBC 4.

Students at the elementary school have had to adjust to a completely revised staff -- from teachers to cafeteria workers. But confidence appears to have been bolsted at the school, where attendance is steadily rising.

Nearly 92 percent of the school’s approximately 1,400 students were in class Monday.

On Friday, the day after the school’s entire staff was replaced, there was 87 percent attendance, a nearly 20 percent spike from the day before.

Authorities said they have spoken with a number of students but would not comment on how many students have been or will be interviewed, citing the on-going investigation.

Students being interviewed include alleged victims, witnesses and students in the hundreds of photos that first sparked the investigation, according to sheriff’s officials.

The pictures, discovered by film processors at a Redondo Beach CVS, show children blindfolded, with cockroaches on their faces and eating cookies with a shiny white substance. That substance has now been described as the bodily fluids of former third grade teacher Mark Berndt, 61.

Berndt is being held on $23 million bail – $1 million for each other counts against him – and faces multiple years to life in prison.

A second Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, 49, was charged with three felony counts of lewd acts on a children under the age of 14.

Springer was released on $300,000 bond on Feb. 10, one week after he was booked with LA County Sheriff’s Department, according to the department’s inmate information website.

Springer was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device, stay 100 yards aways from all potential witnesses and keep 250 feet away from any school, park or playground, according to the criminal complaint.

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Before the recent scandal came to light at Miramonte Elementary, the Florence school faced a series of challenges, some of which may have helped foster an environment that led to sexual abuse allegations, said experts.

More than half of the 1,500 students were not fluent or anywhere near proficient in English, and while test scores were on the rise, the school consistently missed federal benchmarks.

Last year, Miramonte's student body -- one of the largest in the state -- was 98 percent Latino, according to the California Department of Education. Typically in communities with a high immigrant population, parents have "a lot of respect for people of authority, especially of the principals and teachers," said Darline Robles, a professor of Clinical Education at the USC Rossier School of Education.

"Now, I'm sure there is a sense among the community of did we trust too much?" Robles said.

On Jan. 31, former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt was arrested on suspicion of felony molestation with 23 children ages 6 to 10 years old. Less than a week later, Miramonte teacher Martin Springer was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts on a child.

The size of the school creates an environment where students -- and teachers -- can disappear, said California Federation of Teachers president Joshua Peschthalt, who saw the problems of overpopulation play out when he worked at Manual Arts High School in South LA.

"It's not a coincidence that [the scandal] happened in a school where it's predominantly people of color, in a working-class community, in an overcrowded school," Peschthalt said. "You wouldn’t find this in an affluent area across town."

Blaming a lack of funding and resources, Peschtalt points to overpopulation as an indicator that other school services failed, possibly helping to facilitate the scandal.

"When the system is stretched to its limits, they're not putting resources into teacher evaluations and extensive training for teachers," Peschthalt said.

Gloria Polanco, mother of a second and third grader at Miramonte, is highly involved with the school, but confirms the naïveté that exists among many in the community.

"Some of these people, the traditions in their countries see these teachers as mentors, as people you admire. They're the second person after the parents to guide you in your life," Polanco said. "They didn't believe something like this could happen."

Polanco -- who came to the United States at 13, completed high school, and now studies child development at a community college -- also points to a lack of education among parents.

Half of Miramonte parents didn't graduate from high school, and only 10 percent graduated from college or graduate school, according to the CDE.

"Most are single parents, many are immigrants. They try their best, but most just don't have enough information," Polanco said.

Despite their lack of higher education themselves, immigrant Latino parents place a huge emphasis on education, said Robles, who knows these types of communities well both as a former superintendent and a leader in the Latino community.

Robles has hope for the re-staffed school, citing a time when she was a superintendent in Montebello in the 1980s and an earthquake led to half a new staff and a renewed sense of community among the school.

In fact, replacing an entire staff of teachers is one measure that can be mandated when a school needs to be completely overhauled because of failing academics and risk of losing accreditation, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Though parents are now welcomed exuberantly by the administration and greeted when they bring in their children, Polanco said, this wasn't always the case.

Former Miramonte principal Martin Sandoval held parent meetings at 2 p.m., a time when many parents were working so attendance was low. Polanco tried to convince the administration to change meetings to the evenings, but the administration wouldn't budge.

"He was never really willing to talk to us," Polanco said. "There was this feeling that they didn't do enough to open the doors to parents."

Miramonte Elementary's Academic Performance Index, intended to measure academic performance based on a myriad of standardized tests, ranks among the lowest of California public elementary schools, according to the CDE.

With a score of 702, Miramonte's 2010 API was just under LAUSD's average.

Eighty-two percent of the district's students are classified as "socioeconomically disadvantaged" and just more than half are identified as "english learners," showing that the demographics and ensuing issues at Miramonte are not uncommon in the district.

"You have lots of the very poor who don't even know what their rights are," Martha Escutia, a former state senator who once represented the south Los Angeles neighborhood, told USA Today. "You have the undercurrent of immigration, undercurrent of poverty. Miramonte is not Malibu. It's not a sophisticated community. It's a perfect recipe for a predator."

Polanco and other parents want Miramonte to be an example of what can happen in low-income schools, and have their misfortune lead to change in the system of sexual abuse education and protocol.

"Mayor Villaraigosa came from a low-income family," Polanco said. "Don't think the low-income communities are not worth it."

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Miramonte Elementary School faculty and staff, transferred out in the wake of a sex abuse scandal, began work on Monday at a new high school across town.

The 128 former Miramonte employees reported to work at the yet-to-be opened Augustus Hawkins High School where they will get counseling, be interviewed by officials investigating abuse allegations at their former school, and prepare school lessons.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

Faculty and staff will not have contact with children during their time at the 15-acre campus, which is still under construction and is expected to open this fall.

An independent commission led by retired California Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Moreno will conduct the district's investigation.

“I feel really bad for the kids,” former Miramonte cafeteria worker Shay Lewis told NBCLA as she arrived for work at Hawkins on Monday. “I feel bad for the teachers and the staff that they have to go through this.

“We’re not all criminals, but we have to follow the rules.”

Miramonte reopened on Thursday, after an unprecedented two-day shutdown.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy took the unusual action after the arrest of two teachers accused of lewd acts involving children at the school.

United Teachers Los Angeles, the union that represents educators, protested along with parents, saying the move would have damaging effects on their children’s academic progress and is unfair to teachers who did nothing wrong.

During an airing on Sunday of Conan Nolan’s News Conference, Deasy defended his decision.

“This is not administrative discipline,” Deasy said. “This is not … that we have widespread suspicion that people have done things wrong. What we want to understand is how it happened and are there other things that we should know now that took place in the school.”

Parents against the decision to restaff the school said they have collected "hundreds" of signatures in a petition to bring back Miramonte's relocated staff.

Parents and supporters will gather outside Miramonte Elementary School Tuesday at 2 p.m. From there, they will travel to LAUSD headquarters to deliver their signatures in person, according to parents involved in the protests.

Protests have been planned throughout the week - including a 6 p.m. demonstration at Roosevelt Park near the Blue Train Wednesday; and another at Miramonte Elementary School at 4 p.m. Thursday.

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Things seemed to be slowly getting back to normal on Friday at Miramonte Elementary School, one day after the school reopened with an entirely new staff.

All of the school’s 120 employees were replaced, and social workers brought in to help deal with the transition.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

In all, there appears to have been a general boost of confidence.

There was 87 percent attendance on Friday, according to the L.A. Unified School District. That’s nearly a 20 percent spike from the day before.

While many parents were still collecting signatures to bring back their old teachers, gone were the protests.

Maria Gervacio kept her third grader Kevin at home Thursday when the school reopened, but decided to bring him to school on Friday.

"It’s kind of weird," Gervacio said. "It’s our old school, but it looks different because it’s different personalities."

An investigation following the arrests of two former teachers accused of lewd conduct with students led to the sweeping changes. Those changes included a new teacher for Gervacio’s son.

"Well he told me she was funny (and) that she's happy to have him," Gervacio said.

Five families requested transfers following the scandal, that’s out of nearly 1,500 students, the district reported. Arianna Perez is one of those parents who filed transfer papers for her two sons.

Perez believed she made the right decision, but said her youngest son Omar has more adjusting to do.

"I'm starting to miss my classmates," Omar said. "And I really like my teacher. He was nice."
 

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Going on the attack, a lawyer on Friday said the LA County Sheriff’s Department is “unequipped” to properly investigate sex abuse allegations at Miramonte Elementary School and called on the California Attorney General’s Office to help.

Brian Claypool, an attorney representing six alleged victims of abuse at the Florence school, said he didn’t believe sheriff’s detectives were up to the task of investigating the allegations and possible cover-up that allowed abusive behavior for two decades.

Full Coverage: Miramonte Abuse Scandal

“We are insisting upon an independent, outside investigation of this debacle,” he said during a press conference outside the school. “The LA County Sheriff’s Department is not equipped to continue on its investigation.”

Claypool said he was outraged by a statement made by sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore in a KPCC report saying that a potential victim had "fabricated" her story of a female teacher who aided sex abuse suspect Mark Berndt in his alleged “lurid acts.”

The girl claimed that a female teacher had escorted her into Berndt’s classroom where he allegedly took cellphone pictures of the girl eating a cookie with a “white gooey substance” on it, Claypool said.

KPCC News Director Paul Glickman said that Claypool appears to have misconstrued what Whitmore said in the KPCC report.

“Mr. Whitmore never told us that the girl fabricated her story, nor did we report that he said that,” said Glickman. “Mr. Whitmore was commenting on the allegation in a TV story that the girl’s teacher had helped Mark Berndt victimize children."

Berndt, who worked at Miramonte for more than 30 years, was arrested Monday and charged with felony molestation involving 23 students, ages 7 to 10, between 2005 and 2010, officials said.

He was in custody Friday, being held on $23 million bond. He was expected to be arraigned on Feb. 21.

A message left for Berndt’s public defender, Victor Acevedo, was not immediately returned.

In addition to Berndt, a second teacher was arrested. Martin Bernard Springer, 49, faces three counts of lewd acts on a child over a three-month period in 2009, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was released from custody after posting bail.

The Berndt case came to light in late 2010 after a film processor contacted police about photos depicting children in a classroom with their eyes blindfolded and tape covering their mouths, officials said.

Claypool said he has crafted a letter to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, requesting that her office get involved in the investigation.

Lynda Gledhill, an AG Office spokeswoman, declined to comment, saying the Attorney General had received no formal request.

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Along with an entirely new staff of teachers at Miramonte Elementary School, there is also a brand new principal who says she is dedicated to get the school back to "normal."

Dolores Palacio is a 66 year old veteran educator, who is leading a replacement team of teachers and support staff at the school.

Palacio was a teacher from 1974-1986, then became a principal at two schools between 1988 and 2004.

She retired in 2004, but then came back to train new principals.

She says she was contacted by the district to come out of retirement after the decision was made to replace the entire staff at Miramonte.

Her first day, she said, was devoted to reassuring everyone that Miramonte is a safe place, and the new teachers are qualified to do the job.

"All of them were reviewed, investigated. Their personnel folders were examined. They're all qualified and experienced," says Palacio. "It'll take more than two days to get to know the staff really well. What's the most important is they want to be here."

Palacio met with parents on Thursday where she planned to underscore the message that she does not expect the previous teachers at Miramonte to return, at least for this semester.

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LAUSD paid the teacher at the center of the Miramonte child sexual abuse scandal $40,000 as part of a settlement in the wake of accusations of classroom behavior deemed “immoral” and “unprofessional” as well as a claim of “evident unfitness for service.”

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

In a financial settlement reached in June of 2011, the Los Angeles Unified School District paid Mark Berndt $23,980.10 in back pay and $16,019.90 in legal fees, according to documents obtained in a joint investigation by 89.3 KPCC and NBC4.

Under the agreement, Berndt, 61, is entitled to his full pension and retirement health benefits.

Among the accusations levied against Berndt in an administrative hearing:

-blindfolded students and allowed himself to be blindfolded

-taped several students’ mouths as well as his own,

-spoon-fed students “an unknown cloudy-colored liquid substance,” and

-fed students cookies with “an unknown cloudy-colored liquid substance.”

Berndt “exhibited poor judgment, unprofessional and immoral conduct” during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years, according to an Accusation and Statement of Charges filed by the district.

The former third grade teacher also “touched several students by placing his arms around them,” according the document.

The allegations were levied in a proceeding before the Office of Administrative Hearings, a quasi-judicial court that hears administrative disputes.

Under the terms of the settlement, Berndt, who had been suspended without pay after teaching at Miramonte for 30 years, was retroactively reinstated to “paid status.”

The settlement, signed by Berndt, his attorney and an attorney for the district, also stipulates that “neither of the parties admits or concedes any of the claims, defenses, or allegations that were raised.”

The deal opened the door for Berndt to receive his full district pension and health benefits.

The district first started looking to get rid of Berndt about a year ago. In February of 2011, the district suspended Berndt from his teaching position at Miramonte and notified him that they intended to fire him.

In March, he objected to the dismissal and requested a hearing, which was set for October.

But in June, Berndt and the district settled.

The case first came to the public’s attention in January, when Berndt was arrested and held on $23 million bail for allegedly committing felony molestation with 23 children ages 6 to 10.

In early February, a second Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, 41, was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts on a child.

Several days later, it came to light that former teacher’s aide Ricardo Guevara was convicted and sentences to 15 years in prison in 2005 for committing lewd acts with children.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy shut down the school for two days and moved the entire staff to another school that is not yet open. Miramonte reopened on Wednesday with an entirely new staff.

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In the wake of school abuse scandals, some people think equipping classrooms with camera could protect children from predators.

Surveillance cameras are nothing new. They are in convenience stores and government buildings and even in bus stations.

But they aren’t in classrooms.

Mal Weisberg, the owner of a company that sells surveillance equipment, said this should change.

"These parents deserve to know what their kids are up to," said Weisburg, whose company, Privacy Connection, has been selling such cameras for a quarter century.

The headlines from the abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School, where two teachers have been accused of committing lewd acts against students, should make every parent reconsider putting cameras in classrooms.

"In the case of Miramonte, there’s no evidence or proof of what’s going on beyond ‘he said’ or 'she said,'" Weisberg said.

A camera could be put near a classroom ceiling and the school district would have a digital record of whatever happened there, he said. It would not only be a deterrent, but it could also clear a teacher who was wrongly accused.

The real problem would be, he admitted, the monitoring of the cameras.

A cash-strapped school district hardly has the money to hire a slew of monitors to keep track of its thousands of classrooms.

Still, some parents said they believed this was a good idea as long as the video was used only to protect children and not for any other purpose.

But staffing and potential abuse are not the only issues to consider.

There could be, of course, an issue of civil liberties and privacy. Teachers could object to the intrusion of constant monitoring.

But Weisberg said it would have been cheaper to have a monitored classroom than pay out millions of dollars in lawsuits stemming from situations such as what is believed to have happened at Miramonte Elementary.

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An attorney representing undocumented families of children allegedly abused by a Miramonte Elementary School teacher sought an assurance on Thursday from LA County Sheriff Lee Baca that the families will not be turned over to immigration authorities.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

The news came during a press conference at the offices of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles where lawyers announced they are filing complaints against the Los Angeles Unified School District in the Miramonte School scandal.

“Most of these families represent a lot of families out there who would not speak to authorities because of their immigration status,” said attorney Jessica Dominguez, who is representing eight Miramonte families. “How sad is that, that families are not speaking up because they’re afraid of getting deported?”

A father whose daughter was allegedly abused by former teacher Mark Berndt spoke to the press, but said he would not speak to authorities because he’s afraid of being deported.

He spoke through a Spanish interpreter, gave only his first name, Raymundo, and hid his face under a hoodie.

He said he had panic attacks that sent him to the hospital emergency room. He challenges other parents to come forward.

He said he knows two families whose children have allegedly been victimized but who won’t come forward because they’re fearful they could be deported.

Miramonte sits in a largely Latino district in L.A.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said Baca is not interested in a family's status. He mailed letters on Monday to Miramonte parents assuring them of that.

"He's made it crystal clear that he is not interested in whether they are documented or not," Whitmore said. "It is not relevant to him in this investigation."

Earlier Thursday, students, accompanied by parents, returned to classrooms at Miramonte after a two-day shutdown and the removal of the school's entire staff.

The unprecedented actions were taken after the arrests of two teachers in connection with committing lewd acts involving children at the school.

Berndt, 61, of Torrance, who had been a Miramonte teacher for 30 years, faces two dozen counts of sexually molesting 23 boys and girls between 2005 and 2010, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Berndt, a third grade teacher, was removed from the school campus in 2010 when the allegations arose.

He retired before his termination by the district was finalized.

Martin Bernard Springer, 49, faces three felony counts of lewd acts on a child. He was removed from the school and terminated.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy called for an investigation into whether the school maintained a “culture of silence” that could have allowed the teachers to carry out their alleged crimes.

Two lawyers earlier this week announced they were filing court complaints against the school district.

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Students accompanied by parents returned to classrooms at Miramonte Elementary Thursday after a two-day shutdown and the removal of the school's entire staff -- "unprecedented" actions taken after the arrest of two teachers accused of lewd acts involving children at the Florence school.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

Parents were invited to sit with their children in class Thursday to help with the transition. They were allowed to attend the first 30 minutes of class.

"We want parents, as much as possible, to feel comfortable under the circumstances here," said Tom Waldman, director of communications for the school district. "It's unprecedented. This is a very devastating thing for everybody here. Hopefully, over time, we'll get back to the business of learning."

As students and parents arrived at the school around 7 a.m., the police tape was removed.

New staff members attended orientation at the school Wednesday. They met with outgoing staff members to discuss lesson plans as part of a move that has been met with mixed emotions.

Outside the school, teacher's union president Warren Fletcher called the move "a cheap media stunt."

"The teachers and the parents and the students of this community feel betrayed," Fletcher said. "It's crystal clear the LAUSD does not have a plan."

The removed staff members were transferred to Augustus Hawkins High School, a facility under construction in South Los Angeles. The Hawkins school is expected to open in the fall.

The outgoing staff members will be counseled and interviewed as part of the child abuse investigation. An independent commission led by retired California Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Moreno will conduct the district's investigation. Former students and staff members at Miramonte also will be interviewed.

The new hires will cost the district $5.7 million, Waldman told the Los Angeles Times. The cash-strapped district will still pay the teachers and staff who were removed.

The school is under scrutiny after the arrests of former teachers Mark Berndt and Martin Bernard Springer. Berndt was arrested Jan. 30 and charged with lewd acts involving 23 children.

A film processor provided authorities with 40 images that showed the former teacher with children, some of whom had blindfolds over their eyes and spoons of semen held to their mouths.

Springer was arrested later that week. He was charged Tuesday with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child.

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One of two former Miramonte Elementary School teachers accused in a child abuse scandal at the Florence school has been released from jail, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's officials told NBC4 early Friday that Martin Bernard Springer was no longer in the jail. Springer posted bond at about 2 a.m., according to a deputy.

An error with the Sheriff's Department website wrongly reported that Springer – the Miramonte teacher charged with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 -- was released from jail Thursday night. The inmate information website reported that Springer, 49, was released at 6:59 p.m. but showed no bail amount posted, although his bail was set at $300,000 Tuesday.

Full Coverage | About Miramonte | Timeline of Events

NBC 4 first reported that Sheriff's department officials said they were looking into the matter regarding the website.

Jail records indicated his next court date was scheduled for Feb. 16.

Springer was ordered Tuesday to wear a GPS monitoring device, stay 100 yards aways from all potential witnesses and keep 250 feet away from any school, park or playground, according to the criminal complaint.

He is also prohibited from being in the company of minors without a supervising adult.

Springer’s arrest came on the heels of his colleague Mark Berndt, 61, being arrested for similar behavior. Berndt has been charged with committing lewd acts against 23 students.

No connection has been established between the two teachers. Berndt remains jailed on $23 million bail.

A prelimary hearing in Springer's case has been scheduled for Feb. 16.

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Miramonte Elementary School has been rocked by a sex abuse scandal involving two teachers and more than two dozen students. Here's a look at different statistics that shape the Miramonte Elementary community.

Ongoing Coverage: Miramonte Investigation

• Number of students enrolled from Kindergarten through 6th Grade: 1,396
• Number of students enrolled in the School Readiness Language Development pre-Kindergarten programs: 60
• Percentage of Hispanic students at Miramonte Elementary: 98 percent
• Percentage of Miramonte Elementary students who receive free/reduced price meals: 100 percent
• Percentage of students who are English language learners: 56 percent
• Number of general education teachers: 64
• Number of special education teachers: 4
• Range of number of computers available in each classroom: 4-7
• Percentage of teachers with credentials: 100 percent
• Number of year-round tracks: 4

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It's a simple question that many people, especially parents, are asking. They're wondering how teachers with a seeming penchant for child abuse could get and keep jobs for years, or even decades.

And sometimes the scenario can be even worse than what happened at Miramonte Elementary School, where two teachers have been arrested on suspicion of commiting lewd acts involving nearly two dozen students.

Ongoing Coverage: Miramonte Investigation

A case in point occurred in 1997. A high school teacher in the Sacramento area was murdered. Her throat was cut. Her assailant was a custodian at the high school, who had just been hired.

The school district put him on the payroll, while they were still waiting for results on his criminal background check. It turned out he had been convicted of manslaughter. He was on parole and had used makeup during his initial interview, to cover up a tattoo on his forehead indicating his membership in a Los Angeles street gang.

That case changed the way California schools conduct background checks for faculty, staff and administrators.

At the time, Los Angeles Unified School District officials discovered about 50 of the district's employees had criminal backgrounds. Some of their crimes were very serious, including assault.

School officials say background checks are far more extensive today. A so-called "live scan" fingerprint is required for any applicant seeking a teaching credential.

The process is repeated when a credentialed teacher applies for a job. It is the same process for any staff member or administrator. The State Department of Justice then reviews the fingerprint and sends a printout of any criminal arrests or convictions back to the school district. The FBI is notified to see if there are any convictions from other states.

If it turns out the applicant was prosecuted and convicted of a serious or violent felony, they are not eligible for employment.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy says the process that is now n place works. He said the temporary staff at Miramonte has been subjected to that process, and he believes it is effective.

"They are also people who have gone through our very rigorous screening process," said Deasy.

But some parents are not so sure. And the Miramonte case has made many of them wonder if there are too many potential problems with any screening process to be completely sure their kids are safe.

"There has to be periodic screening," said parent Leo Delgado. "I don't know if it's every couple of years, I don't know if it's every couple of months. But there has to be better screening." 

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