Southern California
Parents Blindsided by Teacher’s Child Abuse Arrest
Published
A teacher at Viewpoint School — an elite Calabasas private school with tuition nearing $60,000 a year — has been arrested over allegations of inappropriate behavior involving students … and now parents are questioning whether warning signs were missed.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took 39-year-old Travis Takeshi Shojinaga — who worked as a teacher at Viewpoint, a school for kindergarten through 12th grade — into custody. He’s since been charged with one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material, and four misdemeanor accounts of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.
According to a source, many parents have kept their kids home … giving hugs to each other as they returned to campus and saying how “disgusting” the situation is. Families are now demanding answers as the investigation unfolds.
TMZ has obtained a letter sent to families from the head of the school and from the campus safety director, describing the claims as “troubling allegations involving a faculty member” regarding inappropriate behavior on campus. The letter states administrators immediately launched an investigation, notified the Sheriff’s Lost Hills Station, and that the employee was subsequently taken into custody.
The letter also says the school is working with an outside investigator and making counseling resources available to families … but a source close to a parent tells TMZ concerns about this same teacher were allegedly reported a year ago and “basically swept under the rug.”
According to school officials, the accusations did not involve physical contact. The school says his employment has been terminated, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said Shojinaga was arrested on campus on Feb. 25 after an 11-year-old student reported the teacher was secretly taking inappropriate photographs of female students.
Hochman said … “The accusations in this case are disgusting and deliberate violations of children’s safety, dignity and rights.” Hochman said if convicted, Shojinaga would face seven years in state prison and would be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Viewpoint tells TMZ … “Viewpoint School continues working closely and cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate these disturbing events. O’Melveny and Myers has been retained to conduct an independent investigation, facilitated by Campus Safety and Security. The objective will be to help us fully understand what occurred and to identify what steps we can take to help ensure this doesn’t happen again. The safety and wellbeing of our students, families, teachers, and entire community remain our highest priority.”