School staff replaced in sex abuse scandal

The entire staff is being replaced at a Los Angeles elementary school where two teachers are accused of lewd acts against students, officials said. School District Superintendent John Deasy told a meeting for parents of Miramonte Elementary School he "cannot have another student tell me he is afraid," the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. "Clearly, several individuals have violated the most sacred trust we have," Deasy said. Miramonte is one of the largest elementary schools in Los Angeles with 150 teachers and administrators and some 1,500 students. Trouble at the school surfaced in 2010 when a third grade teacher took some film to be developed and a clerk told police it contained disturbing images of children. Mark Berndt currently faces 23 felony counts for allegedly blindfolding, gagging and spoon-feeding semen to third-graders. Last week Martin Bernard Springer, a second grade teacher, was arrested on charges of fondling children in separate incidents within the last three years. Officials said Miramonte will reopen Thursday with a new staff in place.