Parents in Los Angeles are horrified after an unidentified teacher allegedly stripped down and chased students around the playground naked on Friday.
A physical education teacher at Carthay Center Elementary School stripped naked and proceeded to chase second and fifth-grade students on the school playground, reports say.
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According to CBS Los Angeles, students being chased by the unidentified male teacher ran into classrooms, and the school was put on a brief lock-down. The gym teacher was put into custody. A nearby construction worker recorded video of the incident, which shows the gym teacher putting his pants back on and being confronted by school officials.
“He was supposed to be helping them learn P.E., run around and have fun,” said parent Mark Dickerson. “But he undressed and started chasing the kids while he was naked, and then the kids ducked and dodged, ran into some of the classrooms and got safe haven that way.”
Another parent said that they were “embarrassed” and “very upset” in regard to the incident.
Parents were notified of the incident via robocall, as well as a letter that was sent home with students.
“An individual began behaving in an unusual way, prompting us to contact law enforcement,” the letter reads in part. “As a safety precaution, our school went on a brief lock-down while officers responded and took the individual into custody.”
“All of the kids saw his private parts. Very embarrassing, very upset,” said one parent.
LAUSD officials told CBSLA the man was a contracted employee who works for the district’s Star Education Program.
Mental health counselors were made available to the children following the incident.
School police say they are continuing to investigate the man and are working on a case against him, but that may not be enough for parents.
“We want answers, they’re not giving us answers,” Dickerson said. “So we lose the trust in the school, we lose the trust in the school district. What are we supposed to do?”
Carthay, one of more than 1,100 schools in the Los Angeles USD, is a magnet school devoted to the teaching of environmental studies. The school district is the second-largest in the United States, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
