ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — Escondido High School will soon welcome teens back from summer vacation with unwelcome news. Police arrested one of their teachers on Friday.
31-year-old Ky Iri Tisdale is accused of oral and sexual intercourse with a minor student.
Police believe there may be at least one other victim but say both alleged victims have already graduated from the school.
Shalon Nienow, the Medical Director at Rady Children's Chadwick Center for Children and Families, said parents should prepare to talk to their kids by sitting with them and acknowledging that they might be hearing or seeing information about something happening within the community.
"...And ask them: do you have any questions or feelings about that, and allow the child to lead the conversation," Nienow said.
Nienow says open, early dialogue with children is essential.
"Explaining to a child, this is your body," Nienow said. "It's never okay for people to look at or touch your body without your permission."
Nienow recommends creating a list of five adults that your child can turn to when they feel uncomfortable - three of those people should not be family members.
"They recognize that this is going to be emotionally difficult for their family members, and they want to prevent them from feeling that way. So they often won't tell their family first."
ABC 10News asked the Escondido Union High School District how they plan to support students. The superintendent says they will make services available through counselors and district social workers. In a statement, he wrote in part, "Our primary concern is to ensure that our students feel safe and supported during this time."
The superintendent says Tisdale is now on administrative leave and this could change pending the outcome of his trial. Tisdale's arraignment is on Tuesday.
