Three high school students – a sophomore girl and two junior boys – have been expelled from an exclusive preparatory school in the Sepulveda Pass for allegedly making a sexually explicit video and distributing it on school grounds.
The trio made the video last spring, when the girl was still a freshman, said Rennie Wrubel, head of Milken Community High School, which is affiliated with the Stephen S. Wise Temple. She said none of the three had records of disciplinary problems.
Parents and officials did not know that the video existed until one student told his parents about seeing a copy of it 10 days ago, Wrubel said.
Wrubel, who did not release the students’ names or ages, said two of the students in the video seemed not to know that the recording would be shown to anyone outside a close circle of friends. “They thought they were just doing it for fun,” Wrubel said. “And then it showed up in school.”
While only a few students admitted to having seen the video, Wrubel said, most students said they had heard about it.
Parents said they and their children were upset at the revelations. One parent, who asked not to be named, said her son had shied away from telling her much about the film because “he knew I would be horrified.”
Wrubel said she had not seen the recording and had relied on other students to identify the teenagers who were allegedly involved. All known copies have been destroyed, she said.
Parents expressed confidence that the administration had handled the incident appropriately.
“I have so much respect for the school administration,” said Jessica Sacher, whose son, Danny, is acquainted with the students who were involved.
Counselors and experts will be invited to speak with students at the school in coming weeks to discuss issues involving sex and relationships.
Wrubel said she worried that the students were simply mimicking what they see on television, without the benefit of an adult understanding of what effect their actions might have on their dignity.
“The students understand that this is not acceptable,” she said. “But they think it’s relatively harmless.”