Guilty! Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, Redlands, California (arrested July 2013)

CA school district spends over $30 million to settle teacher-student sex claims — in just three years!

Teachers and staff at the Redlands Unified School District can’t keep their hands off of students, and it’s costing taxpayers bigtime. In just the last three years, the California district has agreed to settlements totaling more than $30 million with students who were sexually abused by teachers or staff, the Redland Daily Facts reports. The most recent settlement came on Friday, when the district agreed to pay $8.5 million to four students who alleged former drama teacher Joel Koonce molested them between 2016 and 2018. Koonce was working as a substitute teacher at Ontario High School when he was arrested ...

The settlement with his alleged victims is the latest in a string of multi-million dollar payouts to victims of teacher sexual misconduct in the district since 2016. That year the district agreed to pay $6 million to settle a case involving teacher Laura Whitehurst, who was convicted of having sex with students, including one who fathered her child.

Redlands Unified then spent $15.7 million to settle lawsuits from students victimized by teachers Kevin Patrick Kirkland and Brian Townsley, and theater technician Daniel Bachman, the Daily Facts reports.

Kirkland worked as a special education teacher and golf coach between June 2014 and May 2016, when he sexually abused students. He served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to eight felonies and three misdemeanors.

Townsley, an English teacher, allegedly sexually abused a student in 2008 and 2009 when the girl was 15 years old, though she denied the relationship to police and the teacher did not face criminal charges.

Bachman dated a girl while theater technical director at Redlands High School between 2011 and 2013 and allegedly admitted to having sex, but the District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges in that case, as well.

“The latest settlement follows an investigation spanning more than a year by the Southern California News group into allegations that Redlands Unified officials repeatedly failed to properly report teachers accused of sexually abusing or having inappropriate relationships with students,” the Daily Facts reports. “A review of more than 2,000 pages of police reports, affidavits and depositions, along with more than 100 hours of recordings, also revealed that the school district obstructed the Whitehurst criminal investigation, and that [redacted, never charged] might have destroyed evidence.”

Continue reading...

http://eagnews.org/ca-school-distri...acher-student-sex-claims-in-just-three-years/

 

More Than 20 Teachers, Administrators Snared By Sexual Assault Claims In Just One School District

More than 20 teachers and administrators in a California school district have been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with their students over the last ten years, making the district’s pupil-to-perpetrator ratio one of the state’s highest. The district has spent millions on civil lawsuit settlements, and two students have committed suicide. The tight-knit community at Redlands Unified School District has roughly 21,000 students. The district sits at the heart of the Inland Empire, the suburban sprawl east of Los Angeles. Parents in the area are growing concerned for their children amid reports implying administrators knew of the abuse but didn’t ...

Sean Ramiro Lopez:

A new civil case against the district, six school administrators, and Sean Ramiro Lopez, a teacher at Clement Middle School, has been brought by seven former students, now in their 30s, who were sexually abused by Lopez while attending the school. Within three months of being hired in 1999, principal Marilyn Kemple received seven reports from students that Lopez was engaging in inappropriate behavior, including discussing piercings, masturbation, and suicide with his students. Lopez also brought photographs of naked women to school and would show them to male students ages 12 to 13. Two other school administrators were informed of ...

Kevin Kirkland:

Kevin Kirkland, a former math teacher and golf coach at Redlands High School, is another known perpetrator in the district whose victims were represented by Morgan Stewart. Kirkland worked at the high school from 2004 until May 2016, during which time he developed at least four inappropriate relationships with underage female students. He pleaded guilty to eight felonies and three misdemeanors and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. Kirkland was released after only 13 months.

Laura Whitehurst:

Stewart’s law firm also represented a victim of Laura Whitehurst, former Citrus Valley High School English teacher and soccer coach, who was convicted for sexually abusing three students and sentenced to one year in prison. Whitehurst made national headlines in 2013 for bearing the child of one of her students, though her crimes may have stretched back to the start of her teaching career. In 2008, a student informed the vice principal of an inappropriate sexual relationship between Whitehurst, then 22 years old, and the student’s friend. The student alleged in a later deposition that the administration didn’t believe him, ...

Continue reading...

http://wilmingtonjournal.com/more-t...l-assault-claims-in-just-one-school-district/ | Find in Internet Archives | [google]More Than 20 Teachers, Administrators Snared By Sexual Assault Claims In Just One School District[/google]



More Than 20 Teachers, Administrators Snared By Sexual Assault Claims In Just One School District

More than 20 teachers and administrators in a California school district have been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with their students over the last ten years, making the district’s ...

Continue reading...

https://thewestsidegazette.com/more...l-assault-claims-in-just-one-school-district/ | Find in Internet Archives | [google]More Than 20 Teachers, Administrators Snared By Sexual Assault Claims In Just One School District[/google]

 

3 named:

• Kevin Patrick Kirkland
• Sean Ramiro Lopez
• Laura Whitehurst

Redlands Unified teacher sexual abuse reforms paying off after $41.3 million in payouts

More than two decades after Redlands Unified School District mishandled the first in a cascading series of complaints about teachers preying on their students, officials say the district has moved on from its scandalous past with the help of sweeping reforms adopted in 2018. Since that time, police have been called in to investigate 16 reports of “inappropriate/unprofessional conduct” between teachers and students, but none was reported as sexual abuse and all of the allegations were found to be unsubstantiated, district spokeswoman Christine Stephens said. The district’s new safety plan, ACT Now (Actions Create Trust), which includes ramped-up teacher training, ...

Continue reading...

https://www.sbsun.com/2021/11/28/re...rms-paying-off-after-41-3-million-in-payouts/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Redlands Unified teacher sexual abuse reforms paying off after $41.3 million in payouts[/google]

 

Redlands Unified sex abuse victims demand attorney general probe

Nineteen former Redlands Unified School District students who say they were sexually abused by teachers and staff members are asking state Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate the district, claiming that current and former administrators still have not been held accountable for failing to report the abuse and protect them. In the last decade, more than 25 survivors of sexual abuse involving 10 current and former school district employees have sued the district, resulting in more than $41.3 million in legal settlements, according to a letter sent to Bonta on Tuesday, Feb. 22, by the survivors. In each of those ...

Continue reading...

https://www.pe.com/2022/02/23/redlands-unified-sex-abuse-victims-demand-attorney-general-probe/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Redlands Unified sex abuse victims demand attorney general probe[/google]

 

Redlands Unified School District Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse Claims

Some parents and students are outraged, accusing the Redlands Unified School District of covering up sexual abuse allegations. During Tuesday night's board meeting at Redlands Unified School District, parents and students questioned school administrators about the multiple sexual abuse allegations that go back decades. The parents are reacting to a CBS news documentary that accuses the district of covering up multiple sexual abuse accusations. The investigation found that 50 students have made sexual abuse allegations against more than two dozen teachers between 1999 and 2022. Nine teachers were arrested, including former teacher Laura Whitehurst who was convicted after having a ...

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/r...f-covering-up-sexual-abuse-claims/ar-AA1apmDA

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Redlands Unified School District Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse Claims[/google]



Redlands Unified School District Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse Claims

Some parents and students are outraged, accusing the Redlands Unified School District of covering up sexual abuse allegations.

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/othe...f-covering-up-sexual-abuse-claims/ar-AA1apmDA

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Redlands Unified School District Accused of Covering Up Sexual Abuse Claims[/google]

 

California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student’s baby

A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing. The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount paid by Redlands Unified School District to Laura Whitehurst’s victims since her 2013 arrest, the Southern California News Group reported Sunday. In August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6 million to a former student who impregnated Whitehust while she was his teacher. The latest lawsuit was filed in 2021 by another former student who alleged he was preyed ...

Continue reading...

https://mynorthwest.com/3929630/cal...suit-involving-teacher-who-had-students-baby/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student’s baby[/google]



California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student's baby

A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused ...

Continue reading...

https://www.yankton.net/news/national_ap/article_52c01216-82cf-5857-9070-b3b3689c8141.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student's baby[/google]



California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student's baby

REDLANDS, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was ...

Continue reading...

https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/...cle_8d53d069-34ba-506b-b7fb-fa9aef73b24b.html

Find in Internet Archives

[google]California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student's baby[/google]



School District Pays Millions Over Teacher Who Had Student’s Baby

Lawsuit settled nearly a decade after the English teacher and soccer coach gave birth to student's childPublished |Updated Aysha QamarA California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle a ...

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...er-teacher-who-had-student-s-baby/ar-AA1gy9GL

Find in Internet Archives

[google]School District Pays Millions Over Teacher Who Had Student’s Baby[/google]



School district settles $2.25M lawsuit after teacher has student's baby

The teacher gave birth to one of the students' babies as the ... Busty Whitehurst, who taught English at Citrus Valley High School, Redlands, was arrested after the boy’s mum told her bosses that her ...

Continue reading...

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/school-district-settles-225m-lawsuit-30913377

Find in Internet Archives

[google]School district settles $2.25M lawsuit after teacher has student's baby[/google]



Teacher who gave birth to student’s baby prompts another multi-million payout by California school district

The former teacher and convicted sex offender was first arrested in 2013 after admitting to having sex with a different 17-year-old student who impregnated her. Staff at the school where Whitehurst ...

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...out-by-california-school-district/ar-AA1gyMew

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Teacher who gave birth to student’s baby prompts another multi-million payout by California school district[/google]



California school district to pay $2.25M to sex abuse victim of teacher who gave birth to student’s baby

The former teacher admitted to having sex with him as much as 15 times inside the San Bernadino classroom and at her apartment.

Continue reading...

https://nypost.com/2023/09/11/calif...sex-abuse-victim-of-teacher-laura-whitehurst/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]California school district to pay $2.25M to sex abuse victim of teacher who gave birth to student’s baby[/google]



$2.25 Million Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over High School Teacher Who Had Baby With Student

The newly reported settlement isn't the first involving the California school district and former teacher Laura Whitehurst.

Continue reading...

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/2-25-million-settlement-reached-192754769.html?src=rss

Find in Internet Archives

[google]$2.25 Million Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over High School Teacher Who Had Baby With Student[/google]



Calif. Teacher Became Pregnant with Babies of 2 Students After Sex Abuse, District Settles Suit

The disgraced teacher, Laura Whitehurst, was arrested in 2013 and gave birth in 2014. The Southern California News Group reported on Sunday that the Redlands Unified School District’s recent ...

Continue reading...

https://people.com/calif-teacher-be...dents-sex-abuse-district-settles-suit-7968117

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Calif. Teacher Became Pregnant with Babies of 2 Students After Sex Abuse, District Settles Suit[/google]



Victim of teacher who had another student's baby gets big payout from school district

A California school district has agreed to pay $2.25 million to a former student molested by former teacher Laura Whitehurst, whose student abuses have cost $8.25 million.

Continue reading...

https://www.foxnews.com/us/victim-t...nts-baby-gets-big-payout-from-school-district

Find in Internet Archives

[google]Victim of teacher who had another student's baby gets big payout from school district[/google]

 

California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student’s baby

A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing. The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount paid by Redlands Unified School District to Laura Whitehurst’s victims since her 2013 arrest, the Southern California News Group reported Sunday. In August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6 million to a former student who impregnated Whitehurst while she was his teacher. The latest lawsuit was filed in 2021 by another former student who alleged he was preyed ...

Continue reading...

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023...suit-involving-teacher-who-had-students-baby/

Find in Internet Archives

[google]California school district to pay $2.25M to settle suit involving teacher who had student’s baby[/google]

 

CA Teacher Abuses Student And Gets Pregnant; School District Pays Multimillion Settlement

In 2013, Laura Whitehurst, a high school English teacher and soccer coach, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing three students. The following year, she gave birth to one of their babies and pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and two counts of oral copulation of a person under the age of 18. In September 2023, the Redlands Unified School District in California reached a $2.25 million settlement with one of Whitehurst’s victims. The district had already paid $6 million to another victim in 2016. This brings the total to $8.25 million given to Whitehurst’s victims so ...

Continue reading...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...rict-pays-multimillion-settlement/ar-AA1gR1OT

Find in Internet Archives

[google]CA Teacher Abuses Student And Gets Pregnant; School District Pays Multimillion Settlement[/google]