L.A. public schools' costliest scandal tops $200 million – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pexels)
Los Angeles — Families shattered by a teacher's hidden predations at a South Los Angeles elementary school have extracted a heavy financial toll from the district that employed him. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently settled with 19 more former students for $30.5 million, pushing the cumulative payments related to Mark Berndt's crimes beyond $200 million, attorneys revealed Thursday.[1] These young victims, once third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in Berndt's classroom, alleged repeated sexual harassment, abuse and molestation spanning from 1988 to 2011.[1]
Decades of Abuse Exposed
Mark Berndt taught third grade at Miramonte Elementary School for more than three decades, from 1979 until 2011. Authorities arrested him in 2012 after a photo lab technician alerted police to disturbing images he had submitted for development. Those pictures depicted blindfolded children with tape over their mouths, among other horrors.[1][2]
Berndt pleaded no contest the following year to 23 counts of lewd conduct with a child under 14. A judge sentenced him to 25 years in state prison. Prosecutors detailed how he orchestrated a "tasting game," feeding students cookies laced with his semen and other bodily fluids. The case stunned the community and prompted the district to replace Miramonte's entire staff mid-school year, mandating abuse-reporting training for all employees.[1]
Early Red Flags Overlooked
Complaints about Berndt surfaced as early as the 1980s, yet administrators at Miramonte and LAUSD officials took no meaningful action. One parent reported in 1983 that the then-32-year-old teacher had dropped his pants in front of students during a museum field trip. Multiple accounts from parents, students and fellow teachers followed over the years, but Berndt remained in the classroom.[1][2]
"Fourteen years later, victims are still coming forward, and that is remarkable," attorney Morgan Stewart told the Los Angeles Times. "The red flags were obvious here, and we are seeing more cases where the reports are ignored."[1] Stewart emphasized that such litigation offers victims a measure of accountability long denied to them.
A Timeline of Settlements
The district's financial reckoning began in earnest after Berndt's conviction. Major payouts followed as lawsuits piled up from affected families. The latest agreement marks another chapter in this prolonged saga.[1]
- 2014: $139 million to resolve claims from 69 parents and 81 students accusing Berndt of lewd acts — the largest such settlement by a U.S. school district at the time.
- 2014: Additional $30 million to families of 65 Miramonte students.
- 2024: $3.55 million split between two more victims, Jane RE Doe ($1.85 million) and John AE Doe ($1.7 million).[2]
- 2026: $30.5 million to 19 additional former students.
These figures do not capture every related expense, as LAUSD has issued bonds to cover a surge in abuse claims districtwide.[1]
Wider Fallout for California Schools
LAUSD sold $500 million in bonds last year specifically for past sexual misconduct allegations, some dating to the 1970s. The board approved another $250 million earlier this year. A 2020 state law extended filing windows for childhood abuse survivors, unleashing claims against nearly 1,000 districts statewide. More than 1,100 alleged victims have sued so far, resulting in about $700 million in settlements.[1]
Public entities, including the district and Los Angeles County, now lobby Sacramento for reforms like statutes of limitations, stricter proof requirements and caps on noneconomic damages. Trial lawyers and advocates push back fiercely. Berndt's case underscores the human cost at the heart of these debates: children betrayed by those entrusted with their safety.
As more survivors step forward, the true scope of institutional failures comes into sharper focus. For the victims, each settlement represents not just compensation, but a step toward reclaiming lives upended by unchecked predation.
