Sherman Oaks middle school teacher arrested for sexually assaulting multiple students
A Sherman Oaks middle school teacher has been arrested for sexually assaulting at least two students.
Investigators with Los Angeles Police Department were sent to Louis Armstrong Middle School after learning of the assaults, which happened in April.
During the course of their investigation, police learned that Kareem Spann, an 8th grade teacher, "allegedly started having inappropriate communication with a student which led to grooming. The grooming led to inappropriate and unlawful touching."
They also learned that Spann, a 46-year-old Burbank resident who has been teaching at the school since 2022, sexually assaulted a second child during lunch time on the school campus.
He has been charged with lewd act upon a child and child molestation.
"Children deserve to feel safe and secure in their environment, and it is the responsibility of adults to protect them from any form of abuse or exploitation. These types of crimes against vulnerable students are sickening and a violation of trust," said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in a statement. "It is important that children know they are safe at school and the adults who are charged to care for them will protect them rather than prey on their innocence."
Spann was scheduled for arraignment on Thursday where he pled not guilty. He remains in custody and is being held on $120,000 bail.
Los Angeles Unified School District also issued a statement through a spokesperson that said in part:
"In early May, the school community shared their concerns about this employee with the school. Upon receiving these concerns, we immediately contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and removed the employee off-campus pending the results of the investigation. ... The District will provide counselors to work with any student who may be impacted by this incident. We remain committed to supporting our students and our school community. "
Anyone with additional information on the suspect or who believes there are additional victims is asked to contact authorities at (818) 374-5415.
