Teacher Placed on Leave for Allegedly Writing Obscenities : Education: Palmdale district is investigating parents’ claim that a middle school instructor defined sexual slang for students during family life classes.

A Palmdale middle school teacher has been placed on administrative leave for allegedly writing a list of obscenities on a chalkboard and defining them to seventh- and eighth-graders during his classes, school officials said Sunday.

The incident occurred Tuesday during family life classes at Juniper Intermediate School, according to parents who called to complain, said Nancy Smith, superintendent of the Palmdale School District.

The male instructor, who was not identified, reportedly wrote and defined the words--slang terms related to sex--to students in several of his classes.

The teacher is on paid leave until district officials finish looking into the matter, Smith said.

“We’re still investigating,” Smith said. “If the allegation is true, then the teacher would be way out of the bounds of the family life program.”

Family life lessons cover peer pressure, building self-esteem and sex education with an emphasis on abstinence, Smith said. District trustees adopted the curriculum in 1990.

The suspended teacher has worked in the district since 1993 under a two-year contract that concludes at the end of this school year, school officials said. In March, he announced his plans to leave the district when his contract expires, Smith said.

The investigation is expected to take 10 to 14 days, Smith said.