Former Tracy Principal Never Reported Teacher's Molestation Accusations
TRACY (CBS13) - A former Tracy elementary school principal admits she didn't call police after allegations surfaced of a teacher molesting students. Now, many are asking if the principal could've helped prevent some of those crimes.
Principal Susan Moffitt didn't want to speak with CBS13 after she admitted to a grand jury she never went to police with four accusations, dating as far back as 2006, that Traina Elementary School teacher Darrell Golden had inappropriately touched students.
"I basically told him that he was not to have physical conduct with students," Moffitt testified.
In the grand jury report, Moffitt also admitted telling Golden, "From here on out, make sure your blinds are open. You are not to be in a classroom alone with students."
Despite the concern, Moffitt, who now is principal at Groveland's Tenaya Elementary, never wrote up the teacher for the alleged misconduct.
Golden was investigated only after a school employee reported seeing him touching a child on campus.
"I would see him and I would wonder why they didn't do anything about it," testified the alleged victim, whose mother reported the incident to Moffitt in 2006.
"He grabbed my hand and he put it down on his private spot," the alleged victim testified.
Another alleged victim told the jury, "He said that he loves me and he's going to marry me."
Investigators say at least 12 victims have been identified so far.
When asked under oath why Moffitt didn't call police before, she told jurors she didn't know she needed to.
"The frisk training happened after that; the training that we received for this kind of documentation happened after Mr. Golden had done that," Moffitt told the jury.
Golden is scheduled to be back in court next week. He's being held on $22 million bail.
