EspañolChristopher Rodriguez, Teacher At UCLA Early Care and Education Department, Arrested on Suspicion of Child Sexual Abuse
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (February 22, 2024) – A teacher at a UCLA child care center identified as Christopher Rodriguez has been arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of a child.
University of California, Los Angeles officials told parents on Wednesday about the incident. Staff members at the daycare reported to the police that they saw Christopher Rodriguez having inappropriate contact with a minor student.
The defendant worked at the school’s Early Care and Education Department. He was booked on five misdemeanor charges and two counts of sexual battery.
Prior to being arrested, Christopher Rodriguez worked at the university’s Krieger Center from 1999 to 2001. He then worked at the University Village Early Care and Education Center until 2020.
Parents who had children with the defendant have said that they’ve been frustrated with the university’s lack of transparency. In particular, they are concerned about the possibility that there may be additional victims.
A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Child Care Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse can occur at every stage of a child’s education. According to the National Education Association, “there were 14,938 incidents of sexual violence in K–12 schools in 2017 – 2018 compared with 9,649 in 2015 – 2016, representing a 55 percent increase. These include incidents of rape or attempted rape and sexual assault.” Schools should take a number of measures in order to protect children from sexual abuse.
- School’s should perform a thorough background check on all employees.
- School’s should teach all teachers and employees what signs to look for which could indicate sexual abuse.
- School’s should report all instances of misconduct to the proper authorities.
Teachers and school officials are mandated reporters and must report any reasonably suspected instance of sexual abuse. A mandated reporter who fails to report any incident of reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect is guilty of a misdemeanor under California Penal Code 11166(c). By the time any teacher is arrested for sexual abuse, it is fairly common for numerous other teachers or school administrators to have failed in their duties. Depending on the facts of any case, a school or university could potentially be liable for child sexual abuse.
Schools have a legal obligation to protect all children from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. This includes protection against sexual abuse. Consider, for example, Taylor v. Oakland Scavenger Co., 17 Cal. 2d 594 [110 P.2d 1044], “It is the duty of the school authorities to supervise at all times the conduct of the children on the school grounds and to enforce those rules and regulations necessary to their protection.” If a school fails to properly monitor students who are subsequently abused, the school could be held liable. There are many steps that should be taken after any suspected instance of child sexual abuse.
- A police report should be created.
- The school’s correspondence regarding the perpetrator should be reviewed.
- Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
- Medical records related to the abuse should be preserved.
- An experience sexual abuse attorney should be contacted.
It is extremely common for schools to be tight lipped after learning that one of their teachers has sexually abused students. They don’t want to inadvertently say anything that could potentially implicate themselves criminally or civilly. This is why it is so important to seek legal counsel early on if you suspect your child may have been the victim of sexual abuse. An attorney can cut through the red tape and help you get the support, justice and information that you are entitled to under the law.
Investigating Child Sexual Abuse At UCLA’s Early Care and Education Department
We at the Carrillo Law Firm, LLP extend our best wishes to all of the children and families who may have been impacted by the actions of Christopher Rodriguez. UCLA should do the right thing and be transparent about what took place and implement concrete measures to make sure that this does not happen again. No child or family should ever have to go through something like this.
Have you or someone that you care about been the victim of child sexual abuse in Los Angeles County? Our team of Los Angeles child sexual abuse attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We are dedicated to winning and getting our clients justice and accountability above all else. In fact, our law firm has consistently achieved some of the highest verdicts and settlements in California history including a $135 million judgment in A.M. v. LAUSD. Whether you just have legal questions or are thinking about hiring an attorney we are here to help. You can reach out to us anytime at 626-799-9375.
