Update: Oxnard police wrap most of 21 high school sexual misconduct cases

Authorities have closed investigations into 19 of 21 reports of sexual misconduct filed by current and former high school students in Oxnard following a flurry of social media-led activism and campus protests in June.

Sgt. Scott Aaron, assigned to the Oxnard Police Department's Family Protection Unit, said investigators were still gathering evidence in two cases.

Of the 19 closed cases, Oxnard police have referred six to the Ventura County District Attorney for possible prosecution.

One of those cases, an alleged sexual assault at Pacifica High School in 2020, is scheduled for a juvenile court hearing in January, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors rejected four cases, according to Aaron and Joey Buttitta, a spokesperson for the district attorney. Buttitta said the final case was transferred to the district attorney's adult sexual assault unit.

How it started:Oxnard high school district students trigger wave of 17 sexual misconduct investigations

Of the remaining 13 cases, Oxnard police reported two alleged incidents that took place outside city limits to law enforcement in Camarillo and Anaheim. Officials with the Camarillo Police Department and Anaheim Police Department reached about the incidents were not immediately able to locate those case files.

Aaron said investigators closed two cases when they could not identify a crime and closed nine upon victim request. Any of those nine can be reopened, Aaron said, if a victim asks.

All 21 reports were filed by current and former students from Pacifica, Oxnard, Rio Mesa and Channel Islands high schools this summer after a former Pacifica student took to social media on June 8 to recount how she was sexually assaulted on campus by a fellow student in 2019.

That post inspired more students to come forward on social media and eventually, to police, sharing stories dating back as far as the 2014-15 school year. Most described student-on-student misconduct.

Two alleged incidents documented by investigators occurred before their victims were even in high school, including one at Frank Middle School in 2018 and one at Driffill Elementary School in 2014 that police are still investigating, Oxnard police said.

'We're not quiet about things anymore'

In the social media post that touched off the storm of reports, the former Pacifica High student described in detail her 2019 assault and accused district officials and law enforcement of not doing enough to respond.

Other students and alumni began posting online in a growing chorus of stories, some fresh, some from old high school days or early childhood.

"You felt like everyone around you was coming out with stories," Amara Martinez, then a Pacifica junior, said at the time. Martinez didn't post a story herself, but wanted to support her friends.

Martinez and her classmates rallied the campus for a classroom walk out on June 8 and another protest on June 10. Students at nearby Rio Mesa High also joined in.

In response, school officials hosted an open listening session for students. Oxnard Union High School District leaders promised to investigate each case and update the district's biannual training on Title IX, a federal law that sets standards for schools to respond to sexual misconduct.

Six months after the protests, Martinez said the campus is a different place.

"It brought our school together after COVID," she said. "It was a big step. People are just more aware. We're not quiet about things anymore."

Oxnard Union Superintendent Tom McCoy said staff had spoken with every student who submitted a report and investigated where required by California's education code. Those investigations, which schools use to determine disciplinary steps and other measures to protect victims, are completed, he said.

"No matter what comes to us, we take it seriously," the superintendent said. "We have to follow through."

Only seven of the cases, he said, met the standard for Title IX investigations, but none of the victims in those cases requested an investigation, and the district didn't open any.

All district office managers underwent Title IX retraining in the fall, as well as the district's 342 sports coaches, McCoy said. Campus wellness centers hosted sexual harassment workshops as part of their mission to provide student mental health support, he said, but the district is still looking for student-led sexual harassment curriculum to roll out across its campuses.

"We've really tried to be proactive about making sure we're not just training but that we're following up and putting in people's heads the understanding that with student safety, everyone is responsible," he said.

Martinez said she's happy with how Pacifica has responded.

"They did the best they could with what they had and how crazy it got," she said. "You see the school trying to help, but it's hard."

Martinez, now a senior, said she's enjoying the year as she keeps one eye on graduation in June. Still, she won't forget what happened.

"It stays with us," she said. "But we learn from that."

Need help?

• The nonprofit Coalition for Family Harmony of Ventura County offers free counseling for survivors of sexual violence and a 24-hour rape crisis hotline for English and Spanish speakers at 800-300-2181.

• Oxnard police ask sexual assault victims and those with information to contact Sgt. Scott Aaron at 805-385-7756 or scott.aaron@oxnardpd.org.

• Students in Oxnard Union High School District can also report incidents of sexual violence through the district’s WE-TIP hotline at mobile.catapultems.com/ouhsd/schools or by calling or texting 844-805-2580.

Other resources:

• Ventura County Logrando Bienestar: www.facebook.com/VCLograndoBienestar 805-973-520

• Interface Children and Family Services: www.icfs.org  24-Hour Domestic Violence & Human Trafficking Line (800) 636-6738

• Lighthouse for Women and Children: vcrescuemission.org/lighthouse  Emergency Shelter (805) 385-7200 Life Recovery Program (805) 436-4501

• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): www.rainn.org   National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-4673

• Ventura County Family Justice Center: www.vcfjc.org 805-652-7655

• Ventura County Behavioral Health: www.vcbh.org  Mental Health Crisis & Referral 1-866-998-2243

To share: If you're part of the Oxnard school community, we'd like to hear from you. You can contact education reporter Isaiah Murtaugh at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard police wrap most of 21 high school sexual misconduct cases