L.A. girls school launches inquiry into reports of teacher misconduct

Officials at Marlborough School, a private all-girls high school in Hancock Park, said Sunday that they contacted the Los Angeles Police Department last week after a former student reported inappropriate conduct by a male teacher.

The incident, which the school characterized as an “inappropriate physical relationship,” took place a decade ago, according to a statement released to The Times. The statement provided no details about the incident or the woman who made the complaint.

It also did not say why the woman came forward at this time. But her contact with the school came just days after another former Marlborough student published an online essay contending that she had had an uncomfortable encounter with the same English teacher during the 2011-12 school year.

In the essay, published June 30 on the website xoJane.com, the student said the teacher had sent her a series of suggestive emails and made other inappropriate remarks. Marlborough’s statement to The Times acknowledged that more recent incident. The school said it conducted an internal review and took disciplinary action.

A year later, the student graduated and the teacher resigned, the school’s statement said.

In a letter sent to parents, alumni and others Sunday, Marlborough officials said that the online account of the teacher’s behavior included more details, including an allegation that the teacher touched the girl’s knee.

In her account, the student said she met with the teacher to interview him for the campus newspaper. She said that during the meeting, the teacher told her that her school uniform’s short skirt and tight polo shirt were “too alluring” and that she was teasing him.

The account said the teacher told the student that he gave her an A on a paper only because of her “pretty eyes.”

The student said the encounter caused her to lose sleep. The student said that after telling her parents about the incident and the emails from the teacher, she demanded action from authorities at Marlborough. Her essay said the teacher received counseling, which she suggested was not a sufficient response.

The school’s statement to The Times said that the essay provided details about the 2011-12 incident that went beyond the student’s initial report. Those details, along with the second woman’s report of a physical relationship a decade ago, prompted the school to contact LAPD and Child Protective Services, Marlborough officials said. Police did not immediately respond to inquiries.

On Friday, Marlborough’s board of trustees formed an investigative committee to look into the allegations. The panel is led by attorney Debra Wong Yang, who is also a school trustee and the former U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. Yang could not be reached for comment.

The school said Yang’s committee will appoint an investigator.

Christine C. Ewell, president of the Marlborough board of trustees, said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn about these allegations and we take them very seriously. Our commitment to the school and our students compels us to conduct an independent investigation and to get a full accounting of what took place.”

Twitter: @julie_cart

Twitter: @DavidZahniser