CENTRAL VALLEY DISTRICT OKS NEW ENGLISH METHOD: DINUBA (AP) — A small Central Valley school district has agreed to stop using a little-known method of English-language instruction in a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU said Thursday the Dinuba Unified School District will consult English-learning experts to decide on a new elementary instructional program to go into effect this school year.
The district has also agreed to implement after-school and summer programs to tutor students who fell behind under the previous program.
ACLU chapters from around the state sued the district in May on behalf of students and teachers who said the Second Language Acquisition Development Instruction program was ineffective for young children.
Since implementing the program three years ago, students' English-language proficiency levels dropped drastically.
The school board approved the settlement last week.
EX-COUNCILMAN SENTENCED FOR SEX WITH TEENAGE BOYS: BAKERSFIELD (AP) — A former California city councilman has been sentenced to a decade in prison for sex crimes involving teenage boys.
The Bakersfield Californian reports that Daniel Shane Reed of Tehachapi was sentenced Wednesday in Kern County Superior Court for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.
The 42-year-old Reed was arrested at his home in July 2011 after police alleged he took a 16-year-old boy to motels and performed sex acts with him.
Reed resigned from his posts as Tehachapi city councilman and Kern County Fire engineer. He was arrested again five months later for engaging in sex acts with a 13-year-old boy while he was out on bail.
Reed pleaded no contest in both cases. He said he paid the boys for sex and did not know they were minors.
SOCCER COACH CHARGED WITH MOLESTING BOYS: LANCASTER (AP) — A Southern California soccer coach has been charged with molesting boys.
Investigators say 50-year-old Renoir Valenti is charged with two counts of felony sex abuse of a child and two counts of annoying or molesting a child. He remains jailed with bail set at $1 million.
Valenti is a longtime American Youth Soccer Organization coach in the Antelope Valley who lives in Lancaster.
Investigators say there could be more victims.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Brian Hudson says Valenti has coached for more than 16 years, including teams with boys ranging from 9 to 14 years old.
City News Service says the investigation began when the mother of a 9-year-old boy reported in July that her son had been molested.
PLAY URGES NAVY CREWS TO PREVENT SEX ASSAULTS: SAN DIEGO (AP) — A play aimed at preventing sexual assaults has been performed for the crew of a San Diego warship.
U-T San Diego says 600 sailors and Marines on the Makin Island were the audience Wednesday for a skit performed by student actors.
The 90-minute production is called "No Zebras" because it urges crew members to intervene rather than allow fellow members of their "herd" to be attacked by a predator.
It's part of the military's effort to combat sexual assaults by personnel on other service members, mainly women.
The Navy says it receives about 600 reports of sexual assaults a year but many more attacks may go unreported.
CAMERA HIDDEN IN CLOTHING STORE DRESSING ROOM: MISSION VIEJO (AP) — Investigators haven't determined who hid a camera in a Southern California clothing store dressing room.
An employee at a Gap store in the Shops at Mission Viejo mall discovered the camera on Saturday afternoon.
Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino says the tiny camera, about the size of a 2-inch computer thumb drive, was attached to a wooden picture frame containing advertisements.
It's not known if an employee or customer rigged the camera.
Amormino says it's not known how long the camera was hidden in the dressing room.
Crime lab investigators are examining the camera to see if it contains any images.
City News Service says sheriff's investigators are also reviewing shopping mall surveillance videos.
