Police in the East Bay have arrested a teacher accused of having inappropriate contact with some students.
Ron Guinto, a 7th grade teacher at Mira Vista School in Richmond, was arrested on campus Wednesday. He was handcuffed and taken away in front of students, according to Charles Ramsey, president of the West Contra Costa school board.
"It's unfortunate that anyone has to be arrested around children," Ramsey said. "But it still remains that if an arrest was appropriate, at least it happened and got other kids out of harm's way."
Police say the alleged crimes happened when Guinto was working at Making Waves Academy, also in Richmond. It’s not clear whether he was a full-time or substitute teacher at Making Waves.
Guinto, 32, passed a school district background check in December, despite the fact the Richmond Police Department’s investigation into Guinto began in November, said Ramsey, who added that an ongoing investigation would not show up in a background check.
The investigation began after a student came forward, according to police.
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Jennifer Ounjian, a parent of Mira Vista students, said the arrest should prompt school officials to go beyond background checks when hiring educators.
"I just hope that in the future the schools do a little bit more background checking on who's coming in just to make sure there's no problems following them," Ounjian said. "We leave our kids here all day, and we've got to be able to trust who they're with."
Guinto’s bail was set for $1.4 million. In all, he faces 14 separate counts.
