AUSD releases documents describing incidents of teacher abuse

The Alhambra Unified School District has released documents containing the witness testimonies and investigation details of misconduct regarding two former Alhambra teachers, the Pasadena Star-News is reporting. In the wake of the Miramonte teacher abuse scandal, the newspaper requested records last March from all school districts in the San Gabriel Valley, spanning cases from 2006-2011.

Alhambra released documents detailing the two closed cases from that period: a teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at Alhambra High named Patrick Bass, and Granada Elementary School teacher Richard Sanchez. Other recent cases of misconduct, such as a Repetto Elementary teacher and a student aide at Garfield Elementary, were not enclosed in the files as the investigations are still ongoing.

The documents describe Bass' excessive use of his personal computer during class, and that he would intentionally shield the screen from view of his coworkers and students. He was reportedly caught on multiple occasions surfing pornographic websites while in the classroom, and several female students made complaints that he made them feel uncomfortable. Although pornographic material had been found on Bass' laptop, a search of his home and personal belongings in October of 2007 revealed no crime had been committed.

In February of 2008, investigations revealed that Sanchez had been mistreating students on several occasions. Students reported that he called them inappropriate names during class, and also showed aggressive sexual behavior towards seventh and eighth grade female students. Coworkers also cited that he appeared intoxicated during several meetings with administrators.

Both teachers resigned from Alhambra Unified in 2008.