L.A. teacher suspected of lewd conduct keeps benefits
A teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct in his classroom successfully thwarted attempts by the Los Angeles Unified School District to fire him. In the process, the teacher, who is accused of spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded children, managed to retain lifetime health-benefits provided by the nation’s second-largest school system.
Former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt also automatically receives nearly $4,000 a month in pension from the California State Teachers’ Retirement System.
Investigators were a year away from filing charges against Berndt, 61, when they brought copies of disturbing photos to the school principal on Jan. 3, 2011, according to investigators. Sheriff’s investigators had pictures of boys and girls gagged with tape, blindfolded and some were being fed a milky substance from a spoon.
It makes me want to vomit.
“A teacher will receive their pension regardless of the reason for their termination because it is a benefit the teacher earned through their contributions and length of service,” said Michelle Mussuto, a spokeswoman for CalSTRS. “Once earned, that benefit cannot be taken away unless it is determined the teacher obtained that benefit by fraudulent means.”
Unions have become a disease. Unions apparently have no moral turpitude clauses- nothing. Just think- Berndt here could have tortured and dismembered these kids and the unions would stand up for his retirement benefits.
He may have a right to his pension. That shouldn’t keep him from spending the rest of his wretched life in prison, or keep civil suits from being filed requesting damages that result in the attachment of every penny paid for however long it takes him to die there.
What this sordid story has to do with unions can be summed up in a single word: Nothing.
This one is disgusting to the max. Having said that, it is an extreme example. I wonder how many kids here in California got shafted because of the teachers union?? You should hear them whining now. Moon Beam wants to raise our taxes as he buys union votes and the unions will pay millions on trying to get this passed. We don’t need to increase taxes, we need to stop free education, free food, free healthcare, and clear out prisons of those who have entered our country illegally. We would then have enough money to take care of those who are legally in California.
I’m impressed.
Just over a year between catching him in the act and getting him out of the school.
There’s a New York public school teacher who is now 66 years old and refuses to quit coming to his ”rubber room,” on campus everyday.
So, they must still pay him….and add to his benefits.
He has not been in a classroom for years because, he, too, got caught in an inappropriate act with a student.
The union has protected him for years.
“…feeding his sperm to blindfolded children…” Nah, we don’t need vouchers and an end to both the NEA and the Dept/Education
Isn’t it amazing the number of articles published that lefties swear have nothing to do with the subject of the article? There have been many military officers who have lost their retirement pension because they committed adultry. Wonder what their punishment would have been if they had been in a union?
@MM: MM, you are spot on my friend. Unions no longer serve a useful purpose and only cost America. Ever wonder why companies move their production facilities to other countries?? Yep, unions and the inflated cost of goods associated with them. It amazes me how 0-bama can publicly whine about companies moving off shore and at the same time allow himself to be the puppet of unions.
GREG, meanwhile here in the Big Apple there is, among others assigned there on the system payroll, in the “Rubber Room” a AFT dues paying public school school teacher being paid over $100,000 a year doing nothing. The teacher of “typing”, like Remington typewriter keyboard and cradle typing, is a millionaire (net worth $5 million) was removed from classroom duties for allegedly unzipping his pants in class on numerous occassions. To the union the choice wearing or not wearing underwear is a free speech issue.