Coronado High School Employee Placed on Leave Amid Vague Investigation

A Coronado High School faculty member was placed on leave due to an investigation that school officials have not released details on yet. Coronado police are also investigating, it was announced Thursday.

The Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) on Wednesday said an employee was placed on paid administrative leave as part of a “normal procedural step to protect both the integrity of an investigation and due process.” The school did not detail why the employee was under investigation or who the individual is.

On Thursday, the district released an additional statement that said "inappropriate material" may have been unwittingly distributed to some students at the school:

"Coronado High School families were sent an email earlier today acknowledging that their child may have unwillingly received unsolicited and inappropriate material that was shared among students on their smartphones yesterday. In support of students, the district will have additional counselors available on campus as long as the need remains. The email reiterated that our professional and dedicated staff are focused and committed to ensuring our students feel safe and supported," the statement read.

The statement also said the investigation does not involve any CUSD students.

NBC 7 has received tips that inappropriate images from a video are being circulated, which appear to show a Coronado Unified School District employee. NBC 7 has not been able to verify the legitimacy of the video or confirm the identity of the person who is shown in it. In addition, CUSD would not confirm if the material was connected to the employee who was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday. 

The school district said they were working with the Coronado Police Department (CPD) to investigate the incident, which CPD confirmed in a statement on its Facebook page. The statement reads in part:

"We recognize the significance and potential impact this case may have on the community, and we are mobilizing our resources and expertise to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

"As this investigation progresses, we understand the concerns and questions that may arise within the community. While we recognize the importance of transparency, we must also protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation. We assure you that updates will be provided within the boundaries allowed by the sensitivity of the case."

At this point, there seems to be more questions than answers, and that fact is bothering parents of students at the school and members of the community.

"They need to take time and figure out what happened. We don't want to accuse anybody too quickly, and just find out what happened," Katie McCrausen "You're always a little worried, wondering about what's going to trickle down from the highs school into the middle school where I have two boys."

This is a developing story and will be updated as information is released.