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On Monday, Sept. 16, Ravenswood City School District employee James Fitch was arrested for three felony counts of lewd acts with a minor and one felony count of enticing a minor for lewd acts, according to an East Palo Alto Police Department news release.
The 54-year-old Stockton resident was arrested on Sept. 16 in coordination with the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Apprehension Team and served a $500,000 arrest and search warrant at his residence, according to police. They say he will be booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
The school district sent out a public statement on Monday noting it was aware of the ongoing investigation and providing families with further information on Fitch. This news organization obtained an email the district sent to parents on Sept. 11 notifying them that “law enforcement was investigating allegations of inappropriate misconduct by one of our employees involving a student.”
According to the district’s statement, Fitch, who had worked with the district for more than 10 years, passed all background checks prior to being hired. Upon law enforcement identifying Fitch as a the suspect on Sept. 5, the district says it placed him on administrative leave, barring him from any district campus and restricting his access to contact students. In the Sept. 11 communication to parents, the district noted that “because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation and because the employee had been removed from campus, the district did not at that time make an initial public statement regarding the allegations.”
Fitch worked as a campus relations coordinator at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School, assisting with student supervision and a wide range of other activities. The statement clarifies that his name could not be released in the public statement issued last week due to the “sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation.” The district said it was cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation proceeded.
“The district is thankful for the efforts of the EPA PD in investigating this matter and for working closely with us to ensure student safety is a top priority. We are deeply saddened for the involved students and their family,” said Superintendent Gina Sudaria in the statement.
The district also states it will continue to offer support services and counseling to Ravenswood families and students along with providing any assistance to the police as the case moves forward.
The district encourages anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Sergeant Jose Luaorozco at (650) 629-4538.
