A former Granite Hills High School teacher was arrested Wednesday following allegations of sexual misconduct.
"The El Cajon Police Department informed us this afternoon that, as a result of their investigation, they have arrested the former Granite employee on felony and misdemeanor charges," said Dr. Christina Wilde, Principal of Granite Hills High School in a letter sent to parents Wednesday.
The Grossmont Union High School District conducted its own thorough and prompt investigation and as a result, the employee no longer works for the district, the letter said.
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El Cajon Police Lt. Keith MacArthur identified the teacher as Gerald Lopez, 54, who was arrested for possession of obscene material of a minor in a sexual act, harmful matter sent with interest to seduce a minor and annoy or molest a victim under the age of 18.
Details about the allegations were not released and the district said it wouldn't comment further on the investigation.
The teacher was on leave while the district and law enforcement investigated the situation, according to the school.
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The school did not say when the alleged misconduct happened or how many students it may have involved.
“It’s very sad that these things are happening in this day and age,” said the mother of two Granite Hills teens who did not want to be identified.
She told NBC7 she’s glad school officials did the right thing when they learned about the inappropriate conduct. “I feel very disappointed that a teacher would take advantage of a student that way and have that type of relationship. I do feel that Granite Hills once they heard of it, the reports were made. I feel like they handled it well. The teacher’s been fired. The teacher was arrested, so things are being handled well. That gives me some confidence that when my children go to school that they’re handling things in the appropriate way.”
The traditional school year ended on June 3.
