Parents speak out in fiery school board meeting after alleged molestation of preschooler

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The San Ysidro School District held their first board meeting after confirming Sunset Preschool teacher’s aide, Jaime Godinez, was arrested for allegedly touching a child inappropriately.

People in the community are mad, and it showed at Thursday night's board meeting through several disruptions during the first two hours of the meeting.

At one point, a truck outside blasted music so loud the board called a recess, causing even more frustration for the people attending.

With their voices and signs demanding justice and accountability, dozens of parents demanded superintendent Gina Potter’s resignation before the meeting began.

“We want to say enough is enough," said Aide Gaytan, a mom with two students in the district.

The meeting quickly became tense as the crowd burst out in chants and boos.

“This is your second warning," said board member Zenaida Rosario.

Parents met with the district for the first time since they confirmed the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl.

“The kids has not been the same child she was before this happened,” said Samer Habbas, the child's lawyer.

Godinez allegedly touched the child inappropriately during naptime on Jan. 15, and according to Habbas, that’s when the girl told her mom what happened.

“After she felt that the kid appeared to be withdrawn, the kid opened up to what occurred to her,” Habbas said when asked how the family found out about the incident.

The child’s family recently filed a lawsuit against Godinez, the teacher, and the district, calling the defendants negligent for failing to protect the child.

According to one of the board members, the superintendent supposedly was notified about the incident in January, adding the board did not find out at that time but couldn't tell us when they learned about the case.

“Sometimes these scars never go away," Habbas said. "It’s our hope she heals, but they live with you for a lifetime.”

According to Habbas, Godinez rotated through three other schools in the district.

“There’s a high level of concern that other children have been affected,” he said.

That’s why community members protested outside the board meeting.

“I’m the big one now, and I want to save those children, so we don’t have these victims," said protester Mindy Ferguson.

According to a statement from the district, Godinez passed all background checks confirming he had no prior criminal record and completed all state mandated trainings, including sexual harassment prevention and child abuse and neglect awareness programs.

“He should have never been around children period, and for the superintendent to cover up, it’s unacceptable,” Gaytan said.

Protesters claim the district fails to transparently share information about the incident with families.

“When you shine the light on this kind of stuff, this is how it disappears," said Marci Strange, another protester at the meeting.

The district previously said termination proceedings were ongoing; they confirmed at the end of the meeting they did fire Godinez.

“My little one is four, and by no means do I want him to go through anything of what has happened recently,” Gaytan said.

The district says there will be an independent investigation to determine whether they responded to this incident properly.