Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit
The Los Angeles Unified school board this week voted to fire nationally recognized teacher Rafe Esquith, apparently over allegations he inappropriately touched children and had photos and video of a sexual nature on his computer.
His attorneys have denied the allegations.
An LAUSD spokeswoman confirmed Esquith is no longer being paid by the district.
A district employee not authorized to talk about the decision but who is close to the school board said members approved Esquith's firing in closed session on Tuesday.
When he was pulled from his classroom at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School he was asked to report to a school district building with dozens of other teachers. Teachers refer to this process as "teacher jail."
Esquith's attorneys held a press conference Thursday to denounce the firing and to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit to dismantle the "teacher jail" process.
"He wants to shut down teacher jail. Mostly he wanted to teach. That’s not going to happen anymore not at Hobart, not by L.A. Unified and he wants to never let this happen to any other teacher again," said criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos.
About 140 district teachers and classified staff are currently in this status, having Lawyer for fired LAUSD teacher responds with class-action lawsuit | 89.3 KPCC: