The superintendent of the Mountain View School District in El Monte issued a statement Wednesday in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of two girls who were molested by a former teacher.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Friday against the MVSD alleges negligence, sexual harassment, sexual battery and false imprisonment. The ex-teacher, Joseph Alfred Baldenebro, also is named as a defendant in the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
“This is an unfortunate turn of events, we’ve worked very hard to support the family,” Superintendent Lillian Maldonado French said, adding she cannot comment further because the case is an active legal matter.
The suit alleges the district did not properly supervise Baldenebro.
“At no time did the employees of MVSD … take any action to restrict Baldenebro’s access and interaction with minors,” according to the complaint.
Baldenebro, 56, of Montebello, was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life. He pleaded no contest to one felony count of committing a lewd act on a child and four misdemeanor counts of child molesting in a case that had five victims, including the two plaintiffs.
Baldenebro worked as a teacher at Miramonte Elementary School in South El Monte for about 20 years. Sheriff’s detectives said the five girls were in fourth and fifth grades when they were molested between August 2015 and May 2017.