Shortly after Redlands police disclosed that a 28-year-old high school teacher was arrested and accused of having sex and a baby with a student who recently graduated and is now 17, Redlands Unified School District officials issued a written statement through a city spokesman.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, a teacher at Citrus Valley High in Redlands, gave birth to the student's baby June 18, shortly after the unidentified student graduated with the Class of 2013, Redlands police Commander Shawn Ryan told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The unsigned School District statement, distributed by City of Redlands spokesman Carl Baker at the news conference, states:
"The District was recently made aware of allegations involving a a high school student and teacher. We immediately notified the police and placed the employee on leave. Nothing is as important to us as the safety of our students, and the District takes this arrest very seriously. We are fully cooperating with police in their investigation of this matter.
"Because we do not want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time. We appreciate the quick response to our complaint by the Redlands Police Department. Our heart goes out to the victim and his family."
No one from Citrus Valley High or Redlands Unified School District offered to speak at the news conference. A contact listed at the top of the news release, Sabine Robertson-Phillips, assistant superintendent of human resources, could not be reached for comment.
Video of the Tuesday news conference is attached to this report. To read Redlands-Loma Linda Patch coverage from earlier today click the following link:
High School Teacher, 28, Accused of Having Sex and Baby with Student, 16
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