New Accusation Against Teacher Surfaces : Investigation: Former student, now in her 30s, tells police she rejected offer of sex in exchange for a B grade on a test she never took.

Sunny Hills High School teacher George Melvin Fairchild, who was charged this week with sexual molestation and harassment involving five female students, may have offered some students higher grades in exchange for sex, police said Wednesday.

“He was offering to give them a better grade or answers to a test,” Fullerton Police Lt. Jeff Roop said.

On Wednesday, a former student of Fairchild’s, now in her 30s, told police that he had made sexual advances toward her at least twice when she was a student at Buena Park High School in 1980.

“He propositioned her for sex and offered to give her a B grade on a test she never took,” Roop said. “She said he did give her the grade, even though she didn’t take the test or provide the sex.”

An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Fairchild, 52, of Placentia, who has been a teacher and athletic coach in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District for 28 years. He is vacationing in the Caribbean and knows about the investigation, police said.

“He’s been in the community for years and years and presumably, he will return to his residence and face the charges,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jo Escobar, who filed the charges Tuesday.

The eight felony counts allege that Fairchild engaged in lewd acts with a 15-year-old girl. Seven misdemeanor counts were also filed involving four other girls. Those charges allege “groping and touching” or using “sexually explicit language” with the students, Roop said.

“There may be more charges filed,” the lieutenant said. “There may be victims of more serious behavior. We’re waiting to see what happens.”

The former student in her 30s, now an Orange resident, contacted police Wednesday, Roop said.

“Her statements clearly corroborated what the other girls are saying,” Roop said. “She said he tried to fondle her breasts on one occasion, and on another occasion, he suggested they have sex in his truck. She said she always kept the information to herself but it’s always bothered her that it happened.”

Roop said statutes of limitation would prevent authorities from prosecuting Fairchild on any alleged crimes in 1980 or on sexual harassment accusations made against Fairchild by at least two other students.

“Charges won’t be filed in these cases but they may be called as witnesses,” Roop said.

Fairchild, married and the father of two children, has been head coach of boys’ basketball at La Habra High School and assistant coach at Sunny Hills. He also has taught classes at those schools and at Buena Park High.

Kevin Garand, 17, a guard for three years on the Sunny Hills basketball team, said he was shocked by the charges.

“I thought at first it was a lie,” he said.

Garand took part in a Bible-study group that Fairchild led called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Fairchild told that group “to avoid premarital sex and show respect to women,” Garand said. “Getting respect by . . . treating girls the right way,” was a familiar lesson, Garand said. “He was always teaching right.

“Being taught it so long from him was why I was really shocked,” Garand said. “I think he wanted to be a good example.”

Garand also had Fairchild as a biology teacher, and said he never “saw any hypocrisy. He was always the way a teacher should be. He was never more friendly to any of the girls than he was to me.”

A parent, Sue Nakayama, also said Wednesday that she “was really surprised. He seemed like such a nice, clean-cut, spiritual man.”

Steve White, who coached basketball with Fairchild at Sunny Hills, said he was upset about the news and said he had “absolutely no clue about everything that’s been brought up.”

School district officials said Wednesday that they are waiting to receive the formal charges from the courts before suspending Fairchild from his job.

“As soon as we have received the official charges, we will place him on unpaid leave,” said Greg Bice, acting superintendent of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.

Bice said Fairchild is technically not an employee during the summer, but his contract calls for him to be re-employed in the fall, beginning Sept. 2.

“If the case were not decided, he would be placed on unpaid leave at that time,” Bice said.

Bice and other school district officials have refused to comment on any of the specifics of the case, citing privacy guidelines.

The investigation began in May after a former student complained to police that she was molested by Fairchild in September, 1992.