RIALTO, Calif. (KNX) — Two Rialto assistant principals were arrested Wednesday in connection with three students who said they were sexually assaulted by a classmate on campus.
The school officials were accused of failing to notify police about the allegations for several months.
David Yang, 38, and Natasha Harris, 37, are assistant principals employed at Wilmer Amina Carter High School. They each face one felony count of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death, and two misdemeanor counts each of failure of a mandated reporter to report child abuse or neglect, according to San Bernardino County prosecutors.
Rialto police were notified on Feb. 16 that a 15-year-old female student had been sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old male student multiple times over the course of three months.
After investigating, authorities discovered the victim had first come forward with the assault allegations to Harris and Yang in November of last year.
Another victim alleged to have been assaulted by the same suspect in September also brought the allegation to Harris and Yang’s attention, prosecutors said. Neither reported the incident to law enforcement.
School officials are required by state law to alert law enforcement of child abuse or neglect in a timely manner.
A third victim came forward in February, but had not previously reported the assault to school officials. Both Yang and Harris were booked into the West Valley Detention Center on Wednesday and held on $150,000 bail.
“In this case, the Assistant Principals’ failure to report sexual assault on their campus erodes the trust that students and parents alike should have regarding the safety and protection of all the children in their care,” the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “Their failure as mandated reporters to notify law enforcement lead to further victimization of two students, and the sexual assault of a third victim, which was preventable.”
“These allegations are taken with extreme seriousness,” Rialto Unified School District spokesperson Syeda Jafri told KTLA. “The district will continue its internal investigation until all the facts related to this matter are brought to light. We will also continue to work with local authorities as they conduct their own investigation. While the district cannot comment on confidential personnel matters, the district will continue its internal investigation.”
The juvenile suspect was cited by detectives and released into the custody of his parents, pending filing of criminal charges.
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