Former Tarzana Middle School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Abusing 3 Students

A former Tarzana middle school teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to inappropriate contact with students and was sentenced to work on a road crew, seek alcohol treatment, forfeit his teaching credential and five years probation.

Jason Leon, 32, pleaded guilty to one count each of misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor child abuse causing mental suffering and luring of a minor under 14, according to the City Attorney's Office.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Christine Ewell ordered Leon to enter outpatient alcohol treatment for one year, spend 60 days on a Caltrans road crew and have no unsupervised contact with minor girls during his probation. Ewell said she would not hesitate to send him to county jail for 18 months if he violates those conditions.

Leon, who taught at Gaspar Portola Middle School, was arrested Feb. 4 and charged with four counts of child molestation and three counts of battery in 2010 and 2012 involving two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old.

The three were students at the school at the time; one has graduated and two are set to graduate in June, according to the City Attorney's Office. An investigation began June 15, the final day of class, when one of the 13-year-old girls reported that her teacher had touched her inappropriately. Three days later, the other 13-year-old came forward to allege she had been touched inappropriately on June 15, as well as several days earlier. A third student said she was similarly abused by Leon on several occasions in 2010, when she was 14 years old, according to the City Attorney's Office.

Leon began his career with the the Los Angeles Unified School District in August 2004 as a probationary teacher at Portola and was made a permanent staffer in 2007, teaching history and communications, according to the school district.

Other terms of Leon's probation include 52 sessions of individual therapy, no alcohol consumption, no contact with minor girls via electronic means and no personal contact with any minor girls without a parent present. He must also stay away from all elementary, middle and high schools and write apology letters to the parents of his victims. Leon is due back in court July 11 to show proof of compliance.

Given the number of teachers charged with lewd acts or sexual abuse of students, LAUSD officials are conducting a comprehensive review of how sexual abuse allegations are handled, and an attorney for the district says addressing misconduct is a priority.

Former state Sen. Martha Escutia -- now a partner at an Irvine law firm that represents dozens of children allegedly molested by teachers at Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles -- has filed suit against the district and called for an independent investigation of what she believes is disproportionate sexual abuse of Latino students by LAUSD teachers.