An administrator at the Contra Costa School of the Performing Arts was arrested on Wednesday after being accused of having sex with an underage student.
Gerard Flaherty, the school's climate and culture supervisor, was placed on leave following the arrest, according to school administrators.
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WATCH HERE"Creating a safe learning environment for our students is the top priority," the school said in a statement to NBC Bay Area.
Some parents claim they aren't surprised, and one said she reported suspicious behavior months ago.
"His boundaries are completely off, but it felt like everything was swept under the rug, like nobody cared," Antinitte Watkins, a mother of a student at CCSPA.
The Walnut Creek-based school notified the campus community on Thursday morning that Flaherty, 43, was arrested by Walnut Creek police.
"The person in question had sort of a creepy vibe about him. I, along with my daughter,r saw him escort at least one or two teen girls to their vehicles in the middle of the school day, and that to me was a red flag, and I actually told my daughter to stay away from him," said Erin Freschi.
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Upon hearing of the arrest, Watkins said she was "infuriated."
She said her daughter had told her about an inappropriate relationship that students were talking about two months ago. Watkins said she then reported it to the school, but was brushed off.
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SIGN UP "The principal told me that this was a lie, and this wasn't happening," she said.
The school declined to comment on any specifics of the case, citing privacy laws.
Parents said the incident is just another blow for students as the school is set to close at the end of the year. The decision came after struggling with low enrollment and alleged mismanagement.
"These kids are already going through a form of trauma because of the way the school is closing," said Erin Freschi. "To have this be the way we end our school year, it’s just really, really unfortunate."
Flaherty is being held at the Martinez jail with no bail. Police said they plan to give the case to the District Attorney on Friday.
Anyone with information is urged to call the department.
