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Vance Miller
Los Angeles police have reopened an investigation into molestation charges against a Hamilton High School music teacher who is now the subject of two lawsuits.
Vance Miller, a 35-year veteran of the Los Angeles Unified School District, was fired by the district Tuesday along with a second teacher in the allegations at Miramonte Elementary.
Miller, 59, had been named "Southern California Outstanding Music Teacher of the Year" in 2010 -- the same year that allegations of sexual misconduct first surfaced. At the time, Miller was removed from the classroom and reassigned to local district offices, but not placed on administrative leave.
In both lawsuits, the alleged victims claimed Miller befriended and mentored students, and groomed them into relationships that became sexual in nature.
More stories from NBCLosAngeles.com
Miller was accused of showering naked with students at a local gym.
The first lawsuit was filed last April by former student.
Since then, the attorney representing that student claimed he's been contacted by eight other students of Miller.
The original complaint also charged the LAUSD with negligence.
Miramonte also rocked by aide's alleged love letters to student
The plaintiff in that complaint is now 31 years old. In the lawsuit, he claimed he had a four-year sexual relationship with Miller.
In the second lawsuit, four students accused Miller of sexual misconduct during the mid-1990s through 2010.
After the first victim filed a police report in 2010, Los Angeles police went to Hamilton High School to interview students and teachers.
The police report indicated some students told them about uncomfortable behavior in class, but the LA District Attorney's office did not file any charges, citing insufficient evidence.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's office also refused to file any charges noting the statute of limitations.
The veteran teacher adamantly denied the abuse allegations and has a "spotless outstanding record" as a teacher, said his attorney.
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Leave a Comment:
Wow this is just crazy can't trust no teacher now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF is wrong with these grown ass mother @!$%#ers do they really think that molesting children is ok sick sick just sick
Teachers and Priests. Whats next? Camp counselors, Daycare, do you see a trend?
ALL PEOPLE THAT HAVE CONTACT WITH OUR CHILDREN ARE SUSPECT.
Showering at a local gym... with students. Was it a communal shower? I'm not understanding what the accusation is here. Did he make advances at them or touch them?
This seems like a uniquely American paranoia, that showering in the communal shower at the gym is somehow a sex act. I'm waiting for the "sexual" part.
I was thinking the same thing... if they were say playing basketball for a couple hours and showered after the game in a communal shower what's he supposed to do? Granted, I don't know the whole story, but at my local gym we have a communal shower, communal sauna and communal hot tub.
Most are in the nude when using them. When I was in junior high school, we not only had a communal shower but also swam in the pool naked... I think it had more to do with keeping the water clean as all had to take a shower prior to swim class. Other than an occasional girl sneaking a peek we didn't think anything of it... I can't imagine the lawsuits something like that would generate today.
I studied music through most of my school years and I have to say I would have been suspicious if my music teacher would have said, "that was quite a tune, lets hit the showers." I'm an older guy and homosexual pediphiles were not tolerated back then. I'm using myself as a yardstick, but since I'm heterosexual, if I could take a shower with some high school girls, whether there was any touching or not, it would be sexual.
I agree completely with you Alan. Showering at a gym is not sexual assault. However, it would appear that there are many other instances that support the accusation that this guy is a molester (e.g.- the four year sexual relationship he is accused of).
Alan Pugh
is the problem. Did you enjoy showering with your teachers? Are you protecting someone?
A teacher is in a position of power. They have an authority over the student. Disrobing in the presence of a subordinate is not okay in any situation.
Monita
What an irrational statement. Blaming all teachers for the actions of a few is completely out of line. That is the kind of flawed thinking that is at the root of bigotry and discrimination. There is no doubt that teachers must be held to a very high standard regarding behavior with students and the overwhelming majority exceed that standard.
Exactly. Same as with Catholic priests, right?
Following this line of thinking, a parent should not take a shower with a younger child.
Sorry, but nuditiy is not in and of itself a sexual act. In Europe, entire families go to nude beaches where none of them wear anything, and there's nothing wrong with it.
American citizens just need to get over there blatant fear of harmless nonsexual nudity.
Second Generation,
It's people like you who make even the most normal things seem sick. Maybe you think men and children showering together is sexual because you are uptight with your own sexuality. My family has had many great summer days at our friends' clothing optional beach on a quiet river. We all swam in the nude, children, adults, dogs. If you think that is inappropriate, then you are the one who needs counseling!
Anyone who thinks it is okay for a adult who is not the parent to be naked with another child needs their head examined. "Prohibition doesn't work", you should see a therapist because your views are not part of a civilized society.
@BigJeff-2931255
Actually, I think I really would need some counseling after visiting the nude beach with my family. *shudders*
Alan Pugh---I am unaware of any situation where a music teacher would need to shower with a student, let alone any teacher or coach. That is suspect enough. In addition, the teacher should not be socializing with a student outside of school---that is just dumb. I have read prior posts by yourself....
BigJeff--this was not a clothing optional beach, that is the difference. It was a teacher in a shower with a student.
If you are at a health club and you go to take a shower after your workout are you a pedophile for taking a shower just because someone under 18 happens to be in the shower at the same time. Obviously we do not have all the details, but what I do not see here is any accusation of any sexual contact between the teacher and these students. Are adults not supposed to use the locker room or shower at a health club because some minor may happen to be there at the time?!?! This seems a little unreasonable to me. Why not exclude anyone under 18 from membership in any health club?!?! Is this reasonable?!?! Are you going to require health clubs to build separate facilities for minors?!?! Why are parents allowing their kids to go to an adult health club unsupervised?!?! The parents should know that the locker room facilities are not age restricted and that their children will be in there with adults. I they have a problem with it, then they can keep their kids away. Find a youth center were they will not be showering with adults. The simple act of being in a shower at a private health club with a minor present does not constitute sexual misconduct in any way. Unless there is some evidence of contact of a sexual nature this teachers should be reinstated with back pay and an apology from the school board. If there is evidence of sexual conduct, toss the teacher in prison and throw away the key, otherwise this need to be dropped.
I am also very suspicious of allegations that are made so long after the incident supposedly took place. Why did the person wait so long to bring this up?!?! I also am suspicious of all the other accusers coming out of the woodwork. I remember the McMartin daycare where there was one accusation that turned out to be false and all of the sudden all these others started coming out of nowhere. Not a single one was ever proven. It appeared that after the first accusation people saw the opportunity for a payday and jumped in with me too!!! These accusers are already lining up to file civil suits against LAUSD. This should make you suspicious of anything they say and what their real motives are in this.
Sorry, I am by no means a prude, but adults should not be showering around children that are not their own.
Be patient Alan. We're just at the foreplay stage right now.
im glad all you freaks that like to shower with children are in europe and not the united states.
Adam, so are you saying that you get uncontrolable sexual urges when you shower at the YMCA if there are kids around? Because that would make actually you the freak, maybe you should see a psychologist about your issues? Just a suggestion.
The rest of us can live normal lives and don't get uncontrolable sexual desires when we use a shared shower like those at the Y with a kid that happened to also be in there...
It was at a gym. People tend to shower after workouts. His profession as a music teacher has nothing to do with hitting the shower after a workout, and it is completely ridiculous to suggest that he should ask everyone in the shower if they know him before he enters the shower area. I don't know about you, but I don't communicate or make eye contact with other guys in the shower. I wouldn't know who was in there with me.
Honest question... do you think that the only kind of shower is a single-stall personal shower? This is not how most of the world showers in a gym.
Amazing how the liberals here jump to the defense of public school teachers and/or bring up Catholic prists every time one of their own gets caught. I'm sure this has nothing to do with thier anti-religion agenda though.
DunkinH
Are you serious? One of their own? Does that mean that teachers are part of the liberals and you are on the side that opposes teachers? Did you even think about that prior to your rant? No one is defending the behavior of the teachers who are under investigation. We have in some cases defended the teacher unions against completely unfounded claims that the unions are somehow standing in the way of the investigation or taking the side of the rogue teachers. There is no group of people in this country that is more on the side of children than teachers and if you don't want to be on that "side" we certainly don't need you.
Take another look at those people who have defended adults showering with children and similar statements on this thread. I see no evidence that those folks are "liberal".
Child molesters need to be put to death.....
But.....showering with the kids?? I'm 60 and remember when I was a kid that we always went to the YMCA to swim. They had ONE locker/shower room for males, one for females. It was not unusual for grown men and boys to be changing, dressing, showering at the same time and nobody thought much about it. Of course once we got to Jr. High and High School, I can't remember any time when any of the PE coaches showered at the students, THAT would have just been strange.
Agreed on that whole paragraph... as I said in 1.2, communal showers at local gyms have been the worldwide norm for quite some time. This seems like much ado about nothing in its current form. I'm withholding judgment.
There are claims of a long-term sexual relationship. That is very different from a simple communal shower and is definitely grounds for an investigation, at the very least.
It's not ok for another adult to be showering with my kids naked. No exceptions!
Read the article, Steve. This was not a shower where both parties just happened to be there. Really?
You don't recall coaches or PE Teachers doing this, but it is okay for the music teacher? Why would the music teacher be in the shower?
bencas, YOU read the article. It was the shower at a LOCAL GYM, as in club, NOT the school gym. So how exactly are you privy to the "fact" that it wasn't just coincidental timing?
ick
Although, I would like to move in the direction of empowering students to file claims DURING the abuse so that stings could be set up to catch these pedophiles in action, rather than years later.
teens especially, need to understand their silence...sadly keeps the door open for others to be hurt.
we need to stop raising a nation of cowards, and stop perpetuating the myth that "tattle-taling" is wrong/weak.
lets snuff out every last child molestor...our kids should be protected first, not the pedophiles.
He had a spotless record because he took alot of showers... with students.
I gotta agree with the shower in a public gym thing can be considered nothing out of the ordinary, unless his actions in the shower area were inappropriate. But I really want to know if this guy was given Teacher of the Year in Southern Cali before or after the accusations first arose in 2010. If before, then barring rumors of misconduct, I don't see any issue with the award as far as the people deciding it knew. But if he actually got the award after accusations were made, then I'm really ashamed of the people who made the decision. I'm pretty sure nobody who is under investigation for doing the things this guy is accused of doing should be winning an award even if they are innocent. Finish the investigation first, then figure out if somebody deserves recognition.
Do not let your children join a commercial gym, go to the YMCA, shower after gym class in school or visit any country except the United States then. As long as you keep them away from well-adjusted people who don't view all nudity as sexual, they'll grow up with the same ignorant misconceptions you display here.
Guaranteed if a Catholic prist or teacher took a shower with kids these same liberals would be jumping all over it. What a bunch of hypocrites.
Many gyms (YMCA included) allow adults and minors in the showers at the same time. In some states even Bally's allows those as young as 13 or 14 to be members. Many places do require those younger than 16 yo to be accompanied by an adult but they still allow showers.
Not everything is sexual or over the line. It just takes a bit of good sense to decide when a red flag should be raised. For instance, if a music or other teacher was regularly meeting kids at the gym I would as a parent ask why and then make a decision from there.
Dunkin, how would "these liberals" know a naked man in a communal shower at the local gym was a man of the cloth?
Wow...this is disgusting. What is wrong with these people!
Agreed. Showered with students? It would have been better to throw confetti......
it's California... what do you expect?
Yeah, 'cause California is the the only place in the nation, no wait, the world, where this happens.
If you cannot use logic stay off the comment boards.
Hey alexinPA, I assume the PA stands for Pennsylvania, home of Penn St., so do you really think you should be opening your mouth? Molestation happens everywhere in the world. Stop being an ignorant clown
Hmmm Alexinpa, Sandusky was in California? NOT, he was in your own state!
The link I clicked on said "showered with kids". I thought the article was going to be about kids being tossed at the teacher.
Well the said teacher of the year showed with kids. It sounded all celebratory. I am thinking a bic pic of all of his loving students hugging him. Then I read about sir slickness doing the penitentiary soap manuever. I don't know what to think about anything anymore. I give up!
Right on! It could be read that way.
That was funny, Bro!
LOL, UDunnoBro... I had the exact same thought when I read that. I just read it to find out how they tossed the students at him, hahaha.
Home School!
Yep. Keep 'em home where Uncle Johnny can get at them.
Most research shows that the highest incidence of molestation is by family members and close fiends, so home schooling is probably not going to make any difference.
These disgusting acts with children always seem to center around Teachers and Preachers places and people children are supposed to be safe at and with....
Why rob banks? Because that's where the money is. Same reasoning with molesters.
That is because of access and child's desire to please authority figures.
Yeah, dipstick,
Teachers and preachers are the only ones in the entire world who molest children.
Sheesh!
Teachers and preachers are the only ones that are newsworthy according to the media. Shock value FTW.
Wow. There just isn't anywhere safe anymore.
"Miller, 59, had been named "Southern California Outstanding Music Teacher of the Year" in 2010 - [...]"
He really was teaching them to play the skin-flute.
oh, why did I laugh at this one...!!! am I terrible?
Because.. you're Peter-the-Piper?
I lol'd.
Maybe they should do away with "No teacher will be left behind" and weed out the bad ones...I find it really, really hard to believe that the district had absolutely no idea this was taking place...A union is only as good as it's members and shouldn't be used to protect the bad ones...
police unions do it all the time.
The allegations were from students in the mid 1990's to 2010 when the 4 accusations were reported to police, they reported this in 2010 and it is 2012?
After 35 years with the school system was he fired, or just retired forced to start collecting his pension?
Lately there seems to be more reports coming in like this, however over the past 10 years we have pushed the schools to focus more on educating our kids on sexual related issues. Maybe we should leave the sex education courses out of public schools. so teachers think less about preparing materials on sexual matters and get their minds off the subject. I would hate to be a teacher in today's society, for it is kinda a lose, lose situation we have put them in. If one googles teachers that have been charged with this, there are several pages. This should be a heads up that we need better safe guards for the students and possibly better screening of teachers who are being hired.
Bigot- First this was a music teacher, second maybe if we included in sex ed classes what's not appropriate or what pedophiles do to groom, their victims. Education is always the best way. These guys always seem to know the kids that need attention, or are having problems at home! See my sex ed teacher was great, she told us girls that a boy will say anything, to get in your pants, he will wear you down, but never have sex, till your ready, never because your desperate to please someone else!
hummbird,
I am not so sure of all that. When I went to school there was no such thng as sex education, talking about sex was pretty much forbidden in the classrooms. It was just a taboo.
We never had sexual problems with teachers, though back then the adult was to be believed above the child. Your sex ed teacher gave good advice, sadly it is not heeded much in todays society.
Instead children are taught younger and younger about safe sex.
Actually, I think the bright spot here is that the investigation seems to have started as soon as the victim came forward and made the complaint. Too bad so much time has passed.
And blaming sex education for causing sexual predation is like saying cooking classes cause obesity. I hadn't had sex ed in grade school when my principal tried touching me inappropriately. I was flattered by the attention but it felt wrong and I told him so. Fortunately, I stood my ground and he stopped. Give your kids a backbone and tell them it's okay to say no. Just don't blame sex ed, which we clearly need as the teen birth rate in the US is higher than most other Westernized countries.
OK, you are correct. Sorry you missed out on sex education in grade school, for it is much more important then math, or grammer lessons.
We will just give our kids birth control pills and rubbers and forget the topic. It is natural for 8,9, 11 yr old kids to have sex so I will drop it, more preschool sex education please.
bigot, in the past there was a much greater taboo on reporting sexual misconduct and much more embarrassment for the victim also. as for your last comment, if you're not going to act like you have the common sense to understand the difference between teaching sex ed as a part of curriculum versus only teaching sex ed then i guess we can just label all your comments not worth reading.
I think that "Bigot Racist Discrimination, Hater's" name speaks volumes about how rational and unbiased he/she will be.
Maybe the music teacher was just attempting to teach the kids how to play the skin flute?
Someone already made that joke, but good one!
...Could this just be another attempt to fan flames of the sexual Hysteria that grips the nation ?
It's happening all over, including in my state of Idaho, what the hell is going on in this country, our kids don't seem to be safe anywhere.
I am by no means defending child molesters - burn 'em, BUT...
I am also really tired of the people who complain that there is nudity in showers and locker rooms. That is the designed purpose for those rooms. "OMG! He was NAKED in the shower! How rude!" It is the ones who don't shower naked that worry me.
As for being nude yourself, I am sure (statistically) there are gay men that shower at my health club. It doesn't bother me and I am sure they don't care about me being there, either. If being nude in a locker room bothers you stay home, but keep your Victorian era prudish behavior (and hypocrisy, most likely) to yourselves.
Swimming was done nude for boys until the 60s and 70s and it doesn't mean everyone involved was a pedophile.
I have noticed the hype as well, yet at public swimming pools one does not have much of a choice but for adults and children to shower next to each other and we are total strangers to one another. We are a contradictory society.
Nudity is not the issue. Communal showers aren't the issue. It's a MUSIC TEACHER showering with students on a regular basis that's the problem. Hell, if my gym teacher back in school did that on a regular basis, I would be suspicious because most gym teachers hardly do anything but coach.
But, Butch, you and others appear to have fabricated "the issue"; nowhere in the story does it he showered with students on a regular basis, and the fact that he is a music teacher and not a coach has nothing to do with his showering at the local gym.
Back in Victorian times, same-sex nudity was not frowned upon, only opposite-sex nudity. It was believed only natural for men to behave as if nothing was wrong that they were all nude. There was a little extra prudishness for women, but it was never given harsh thought if two or more were nude together. This is why we still have communal showers still being designed as totally open spaces in the men's locker room, and individual stalls in the women's locker rooms.
The British were happy to get rid of the Puritans... we are stuck with them still.
Gee, I thought it was ok to be gay these days.
.. making it harder and harder for students/parents to trust the good teachers. I have been a teacher for 9 years now and have been able to gain trust at my school. A student made an accusation that I was "rude" to her for asking her not to sleep in my class. That accusation was enough to spread like wildfire throughout my school and I was called in for a meeting with my principal. I'm not saying that this guy is innocent, but there is a large amount of power behind a student's accusation. I always make sure I'm not putting myself in a compromising situation. If I see my students in the gym locker room, I leave ASAP!
It's like drugs, just say no. If the kid had a four year affair he was already gay. Why did he wait till he was 31 to report it.
Put on your thinking cap!! He was a KID!
Patrick-3437025 ~~ Being 'gay' has absolutely nothing to do with this. Geeeeezzzzzz get yourself educated. A person who is SEXUALLY ATTRACTED to children, is a PERVERT, a PEDOPHILE. Gay men and women are attracted to other gay men and women, NOT children (although I'm sure there are exceptions to that, which would be far and few between). SEXUAL PERVERTS, who look to children to satisfy their sexual needs are the SICK ONES, not gay people who are consentually involved with each other.
My grandfather molested me for 5-years when I was a kid, but I don't consider that an 'affair' as you put it. It's people like you that cast a dark shadow on the victim, and make it difficult for them to come forward with this violation. I didn't tell anyone about being molested by my grandfather until I was 38-years old.
YOU are an ill informed person, and it's people like you that make me wonder if perhaps you yourself aren't some kind of pervert, who is minimizing this violation, underplaying the seriousness of it's effect on people.
May I ask you if you are gay, also the so called experts say that once children are molested they have a good chance of becoming a molester, I pray that this has not happened to you, also if you are gay did the fact that you were molested have something to do with you being gay. I am so sorry to hear that you went through that, You should have confided in someone and if they would not believe you you should have told someone else. People teach your children that no matter what anyone tells them they are going to do if they tell on them do not listen to them, tell someone immediatly. Even if they love the person who is doing this they must tell. I believe that all child molesters and rapest and murderers should be executed.
You idiot, being gay had nothing to do with it. And, HE WAS A KID! God.
Anyone else notice a similarity in these child molesters we've been reading about for the past year?
mccainisacrankyoldguy ~~ First of all, it's an ENTIRELY different scenario when adults shower at a club with other adults after working out at the gym. But for a teacher to shower with students, in the school setting, is just plain WRONG.
Pedophiles are quite skilled at setting up their victims, grooming them, setting up trust, and then reeling them in. Most kids don't report it, because up to the point of being violated, they have respected the perp, trusted the perp. Regardless of how minimal the students (or child) participation in the violation is, they are shocked, surprised, humilated, and take on blame because the 'teacher' is so cool, it can't possibly be the teachers 'fault.' The student has been set up, long in advance of the violation, to take the fall. That's one of the reasons that victims don't always come forth right away. Another reason, is because often times the victim is 'scolded' for not coming forth right away, or they are not entierly believed.
"Miller was accused of showering naked with students at a local gym."
The text of the article would seem to indicate that the showering took place in an off-campus gym. And adults showering in the presence of children is not sexual assault, it happens all the time. In fact, if you describe it like that, I have showered naked with many high school age boys at the local gym. Am I now a perverted molester?
It seems clear that this guy has committed many ACTUAL crimes against some of these children, but showering at a gym is not a de facto crime in itself. So let's focus on the actual crime part, and not titallate over a common daily occurrence. I suspect the real problem is that none of you people actually work out, so you have no idea what really goes on at the gym.
Grown men and women should never be showering with children even their own, if I was to find out this was happening with one of my kids somebody would pay. And to answer your question yes you are a pervert.
I repeat, grown people should never be allowed into a children showers, it is as you say a way for pedophiles to scope out the vunerable. When I was in school I never did want to shower with others even others boys and I was embaressed to do so even tho I did. When I grew up and went to hig school I became less inhibited and was ok with showering with the other guys, but even then if a grown up suddenly showed up I stopped and covered. Happily married 40 years, two girls and one boy, ten grandchildren who I taught was is proper and was is not as well as right from wrong. We were not perfect parents but so far none are in prison nor are their any homos amoung them, or if they are they at least keep it in the sewer. If they were to tell me that they were such I would ask for them to renounce it and promise to stop, if they chose to continue to do this evil thing then they would not be welcome as my child until they did so. I would forgive them and except them back if they wanted to come back otherwise we must part company. The Bible says that if you associate with a pig after a while you become one.
Jerry, seek help. Or stay inside with the door locks, lights off and computer unplugged.
I am not at all saying this guy is innocent, or guilty for that matter, but since when did taking a shower at the gym in the presence of others constitute a sexual assault? How about let's focus on the actual crimes this guy committed, and not try to make something lots of men do every day out to be some weird perversion.
OK...Ick.
Maybe we need to hire Islamic teachers. One rarely if ever see's on the News Islamic leaders accused of sexual misconduct. Researching it I could only find one, but he only assualted 13 or more children so it was not news worthy. Only Christians, Gays you know american born citizens have this hangup. For the most part Islamic citizens behave themselves for the media and especially MSNBC would report if this happened right?
Just hire more Islamic teachers, problem solved.
Islamic teacher accused of multiple sexual
assault
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
A 48-year–old Toronto man has been arrested on 13 counts of suspected
sexual assault.
The alleged offenses were committed between November 1, 2008 and July ,2011.
The suspect Mohammed Masroor is Imam (leader) of the Baitul Mukarram Islamic Society
on Danforth Avenue and has taught at this location, in his home, and in Florida, Michigan
and Bangladesh.
Investigators believe more victims may be involved as the suspect has lived and travelled
extensively abroad.
Okay, okay, I confess.
I belong to a gym. I shower after I work out. My kids and many of their friends also belong to the club. Therefore, I have showered with not only my own daughter but several friends of my sons.
No, I don't like what I've read about this teacher but this latest accusation is ridiculous.
You are a pervert and if the law was actually worth anything this your very confession would have you in jail immedialy.
Wow,
I never new public gyms had coed showers.
Well Bigot, that's how rumors get started!
The showers are not co-ed and there was never a mention of co-ed until you brought it up. Do your sons have no friends that are female?
Jerry, you're a sick man. As Laura so adroitly pointed out, what you object to was solely in your mind, not in her words or her actions.
Thanks Rick but I took Jerry's comment as sarcasm. Perhaps I was wrong.
I think you are spot on, Laura. Thanks for your post. :-)
Jerry: Stop with the ridiculous comments. Public pools are like that.
Bigot: Nobody ever mentioned coed showers until you decided to bring it up outta nowhere.
Hey! This is after all California, give him another teacher of the year award and put him back in the classroom, this way he along with all the homos will not be discriminated against.