2 Teachers Accused of Having Sex With High School Students

Two Los Angeles-area teachers have been arrested and accused of having sex with high school students, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

Melody Lippert, a teacher at South Hills High School in the Covina-Valley Unified School District, allegedly provided alcohol to students on the San Clemente beach and took part in a “sexual relationship” with one of them, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Later, 38-year-old Lippert allegedly organized a camping trip that was not sponsored by the school to the same beach, where she and Michelle Ghirelli, a 30-year-old former South Hills teacher who worked in the district offices, are suspected of having sexual contact with students.

“As soon as we found out about this, we contacted the Police Department. We’re taking the matter very, very seriously,” said Michelle Van Der Linden, the school district’s spokesperson. Both women are on paid administrative leave, and parents of the school have been informed. They are set to be arraigned on Wednesday.

[Los Angeles Times]