One of the teachers involved in the scandal made his first appearance in court today. NBC 4’s Jesse Gary was outside the Alhambra home of Martin Springer and has this story.
Martin Springer -- the second teacher from Miramonte Elementary School whose recent arrest fueled panic among parents, forcing the superintendent to displace the school's entire staff -- was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device and stay away from all potential witnesses.
The 49-year-old teacher was charged Tuesday with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, according to the criminal complaint.
Two girls claimed Springer fondled them in a Miramonte classroom, although Tuesday's charges only pertain to one of the alleged victims, identified in the criminal complaint only as "Jane Doe." The alleged incidents happened between April and June in 2009.
In court Tuesday, Springer was ordered to wear the tracking device and stay 150 yards away from witnesses.
His bail was set at $300,000 and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Feb. 16.
If convicted, Springer -- who was arrested Friday -- faces a maximum term of 12 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney's office.
Also Tuesday, the LAUSD Board of Education voted unanimously to fire Springer, who now has 30 days to appeal the decision, City News Service reported.
No connection has been established between Springer and 61-year-old Mark Berndt, a former Miramonte teacher charged with lewd acts against 23 students. The two were arrested within a week of each other, prompting LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy to shut down the school for two days and reassign the staff.
"I think it is very important that the actions that we are taking not be seen as a condemnation of an entire staff," Deasy said during a news conference Monday. "Quite the contrary, these actions that we are taking is trying to support staff and simultaneously determine if there are individuals who have done something wrong."
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