THOUSAND OAKS : 3 Expelled for Sexual Harassment Charges

School officials have voted to expel three male Newbury Park High School students who were accused of sexual harassment by female classmates.

The board of the Conejo Valley Unified School District voted 5 to 0 late Thursday to expel the senior and two juniors for engaging in what administrators described as “inappropriate physical and verbal behavior toward other students.”

The minors’ names have not been released. School officials have declined to provide further details about the allegations, but the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has said it plans to investigate claims of sexual battery filed by the female students against the three boys.

The board’s decision allows the boys to enroll in the district’s independent study program to continue their schooling off-campus. Their parents each signed forms consenting to the discipline and waiving their rights to a hearing before the board.

The district cited a new state law in seeking the students’ expulsion. The law, passed in January, defines sexual harassment between students as unwanted sexual advances that negatively affect academic performance or create a hostile educational environment.

The three students were suspended May 12 while school administrators investigated the girls’ charges, officials said. With the board’s action Thursday, the expelled students cannot reapply for admittance to the campus until January of next year, officials said.