California DOJ launches investigation into Redlands Unified's handling of sexual abuse cases
The California Department of Justice has launched an investigation in the Redlands Unified School District after a CBS News documentary criticized how administrators handled child sexual abuse cases.
"Redlands is as bad as they come in our experience," said Saul Wolf, an attorney representing the victims. "The administration, in our opinion, is the problem. With so many people remaining there, that have been there for so long, and nothing changes — well you're going to see the same problems recurring over and over again."
The CBS News documentary discovered 50 students have accused more than 25 teachers of sexual misconduct between 1999-2022. Of those cases, two of which happened in 2022, 11 were investigated by police which resulted in the arrest of nine teachers.
According to the Department of Education, an estimated 12% of all public school students in the United States experience sexual misconduct by the time they graduate high school. This equates to over 5.7 million children being victimized by their teachers. Currently, the Department of Education is investigating 145 public school districts, including Redlands, for allegations of sexual violence.
The Bureau of Children's Justice of the CADOJ will hold office hours with students, parents and guardians on May 17 and May 18.
The first session will be at Citrus Valley High School, where Laura Whitehurst taught. The former teacher birthed the child of a 16-year-old student. She originally faced 41 counts of sex with a minor and oral copulation with a person under the age of 18. However, she took a plea bargain and was convicted on six of the counts. Four of the counts related to the 16-year-old boy who fathered Whitehurst's child.
She was sentenced to a year in prison. She only served half of that sentence.
After seeing the documentary, outraged parents crowded the school district's meeting
Outside the school meeting, another student described the alleged sexual misconduct she experienced last year.
"I didn't want to happen but it did," said high school junior Ashley Ranabauer.
Rananbauer said that a 50-year-old teacher at Redlands East Valley High School started harassing her with sexually explicit messages on social media.
"Complimenting my legs, my curvy back pockets," she recalled. "Went so far to say Netflix and chill, he wanted to do that with me."
Ranabauer struggled to talk about the allegations, crying as her parents comforted her.
"Oh I wanted to kill him, especially when I read the messages," said Jonathan Ranabauer, Ashley's father.
To schedule a 15-minute meeting with the Bureau of Children's Justice please email danielle.elliott@doj.ca.gov.
Here are the available days:
- Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 3:15-5:30 p.m. at Citrus Valley High School, 800 W Pioneer Avenue
- Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 3:15-4:15 p.m. at Cope Middle School, 1000 W Cypress Avenue
