Response to Student lawsuit

As your new superintendent, I ask you to please understand that I cannot and will not discuss personal information regarding any student incident. But you do need to know that as soon as the information was brought to us regarding the sexual abuse lawsuit reported in last week’s Acorn, we undertook an immediate investigation. As soon as the investigation confirmed the incident, immediate action was taken to address the situation and ensure student safety.

I want to assure the community that any incident that occurs on any campus in our district will be taken seriously and acted upon with immediacy and compassion.

We will do our utmost to make sure that all students are safe and feel comfortable. Each student is precious and we care deeply when an incident occurs. We will respond to parents and encourage both parents and students to freely come forward with complaints so that we can correct problems.

This case has been concluded by a settlement, although we were ready to go to trial. However, our concern for student safety is not over. We are committed to student safety. It is one of our greatest responsibilities and on this subject I vow both vigilance and compassion. Sandra B. Smyser, Ph.D. Superintendent, Las Virgenes Unified School District