Castaic Union School District Superintendent Steve Doyle released a statement after teacher Joshua Mark Levine, who was charged with four counts of child molestation last year, was cleared of all charges Wednesday.

“Now that the criminal trial of [Joshua Mark Levine] has concluded, the District’s Board of Trustees must consider the same facts in light of very different legal issues, tests, and procedures. The focus is not on the teacher’s intent, but on the well-being of students.

The District follows mandated reporting policies established by state law in instances of inappropriate touching of children. The District Attorney’s Office, not the school district, makes an independent decision based on all of the evidence whether to initiate a criminal prosecution.

In a criminal trial, a decision must be made as to whether a defendant had intent to obtain sexual gratification from misconduct with children that includes inappropriate touching.

Under the California Education Code and the extensive case law concerning dismissal of permanent teachers, the legal issue is whether the teacher’s conduct toward children for whom he is charged with providing a safe and appropriate learning environment negatively impacted students or had other negative impacts on the school community. Unlike criminal charges, school districts must determine issues such as whether the conduct was immoral, dishonest, demonstrates the teacher’s evident unfitness for service, or whether the teacher persistently violated school or District rules or state law by his conduct.

It is the responsibility of the District’s governing board to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for our students. The Board will take all of these factors into account when it meets on Tuesday to decide “next steps.”