Home » Santa Clarita News » Crime » UPDATE: Saugus High School Long Term Substitute Teacher Arrested For Oral Copulation With A Minor
Saugus High Teacher Oral Copulation David Cornish

UPDATE: Saugus High School Long Term Substitute Teacher Arrested For Oral Copulation With A Minor

A Saugus High School long term substitute teacher was arrested Wednesday for oral copulation with a minor, officials said.

David Cornish, 28, of Valencia, was charged with oral copulation with a minor under 16 years old, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station booking logs.

On Tuesday, May 26, investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau began investigating the circumstances involving an unlawful sexual relationship between a  substitute teacher and his female student between the month of April and May 2020.

The victim disclosed to investigators that she had been involved in a sexual relationship with her substitute teacher, Cornish, according to Deputy Grace Medrano.

The penal code section for the charges reads “any person over 21 years of age who participates in an act of oral copulation with another person who is under 16 years of age is guilty of a felony.”

The  William S. Hart Union School District is deeply concerned that one of our substitute teachers, David Cornish, was arrested and is expected to be charged with engaging in sexual misconduct with a Saugus High School minor student, said a district spokesperson in a statement.

“The district strives to provide a safe educational environment for all of our students, and we are saddened and disturbed that one of our substitute teachers is being charged with this misconduct,” Hart district officials said.

The district has been providing instruction via a distance-learning model due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdown of schools.

The district immediately suspended Cornish upon learning of the allegations, according to the spokesperson.

Pursuant to California law, upon receipt of a copy of the formal charge additional action will be taken, including possible immediate termination, and the matter will be reported to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Cornish is being held on $100,000 bail at the to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Ed. Note: This story has been updated with additional details from the Sheriff’s Department and a comment from the Hart District. 


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UPDATE: Saugus High School Long Term Substitute Teacher Arrested For Oral Copulation With A Minor

41 comments

  1. The suspect was a substitute teacher

  2. please do some reporting

    The suspect was a substitute teacher at Saugus, not a member of the faculty.

  3. Doesn’t matter if he was a sub

  4. How are these subs screened? Holy crap They wouldn’t hire me as a full time campus supervisor because”I didn’t have enough experience” give me a break I raised 2 kids of my own have never been in trouble a great work history… how did he pass the sub test! Ridiculous

    • Easy: he’s young, white and male. Welcome to the real world.

      • Alice: Actually not a true prejudice!! All jobs they bend over(pun intended)backwards to GIVE jobs to minorities, 2 specific so called minorities!

      • Alice you are a disgusting and hateful person. You should be ashamed for your anti white rhetoric.

        • She’s not wrong. I’m white im a man and things are easier for me. You’re weak for not being able to accept it. Get over your self white men have it the easiest in this country .

          • When did Shawn become the White spokesperson ? I worked for everything I have and it was an up hill battle the whole time which is I why I appreciate it more then it just being handed to me. Sure there were many times I wanted to give up and wish I could be handed things but I’m glad I didn’t. Hard work pays off for those that are in it for the long haul. Nice to hear you had a silver spoon up your a$$ your whole life but not all of us have.

        • BS, not all jobs and particularly not here in the insular white community. Look around you, SCV 70% white.

          • “SCV 70% white”…is there a problem that SCV is 70% white? Should we be apologizing that SCV is 70% white?

            Because if I posted something about ‘the insular Chinese community’ of China Town, that it was 99% Chinese, they would be asking…’You have a problem with that?’

          • Hi Alice! You have a point! Communities often function off of systems and ideals that benefit only a certain number and/or class of individuals. Sadly, people of color are often excluded from these opportunities based off of this system. China town was born from the “rejects” of this system which lead them to create a rich community where poc, mainly those of asian/Chinese descent could thrive. Sadly people often feel uncomfortable when you point out how their own circumstances are privileges so many POC would probably have to fight and sometimes die to achieve and how they are so often exploited or taken for granted–especially in this case. Although your rhetoric was slightly aggressive, perhaps rightly so depending on your own experiences, I believe those blatantly trying to call you disgusting and who are willingly ignoring the information you are trying to bring light to are forgetting that had this been a black, asian, or latino man the comments section would be asking about the INDIVIDUAL or their RACE’s ability to perform the task, not the district’s screening process or how processed paperwork that overwhelmingly incriminates POC would have benefited us in this situation. We so willingly ask why the system has failed us, but we are also part of said system. Awful news. I hope he recieves just punishment.

        • Boohoo, tell that to George Floyd, oh wait you can’t he’s dead; murdered by a white cop who has a history of targeting POC and abuse of power. White rhetoric, you mean like Neo- Nazi’s are fine people according to Trump?

      • Alice, you are the definition of a racists!!!!

      • Hi Alice! You have a point! Communities often function off of systems and ideals that benefit only a certain number and/or class of individuals. Sadly, people often feel uncomfortable when you point out how their own circumstances are privileges so many POC would probably have to fight and sometimes die to achieve and how they are so often exploited or taken for granted–especially in this case. Although your rhetoric was slightly aggressive, perhaps rightly so depending on your own experiences, I believe those blatantly trying to call you disgusting and who are willingly ignoring the information you are trying to bring light to are forgetting that had this been a black, asian, or latino man the comments section would be asking about the INDIVIDUAL or their RACE’s ability to perform the task, not the district’s screening process or how processed paperwork that overwhelmingly incriminates POC would have benefited us in this situation. We so willingly ask why the system has failed us, but we are also part of said system. Awful news. I hope he recieves just punishment.

  5. That detail does not lesson the risk to students at Saugus high. What will the faculty do so this does not happen again? There are obvious safety concerns that need to be addressed for subs. More over sight for non-faculty perhaps… ?

    • How do you prevent such a thing? If someone during a background check has no history, how can you predict the future to prevent this? He got caught because he couldn’t hide it. If he was never caught, he would continue to do this. Another question is how long was this kind of thing happening prior before this time? We just don’t know and unless he has prior convictions, theres no way to weed them out without in some way discriminating whether it’d be sexual orientation, health, race etc….

  6. For all we know he met this person online and maybe they look older then they are or have a fake ID. This story is missing alot of the facts. I would like to think a teacher wouldnt do this knowing the indivdual is under age . Lets get back to Mask talks and how everything is Trumps fault LOL

  7. WRHS knew about the cheer coach “Ms. Hambel” having a relationship with her 18 year old student and did nothing because, the student was 18. This was back in 2010. We never could get the 16 year old boy she had sex with to go to the sheriffs. He was worried that his parents would not take it well since the coach groomed the parents into thinking she was helping him with his homework.

  8. And yet, speculate is exactly what you just did.

  9. On November 21 2018 I recorded a a radio show discussing this exact thing. Complaints on substitute teachers making sexual advances at students. According to the attorney that was handling the deposition NOTHING was done by the schools or the district. The interview caught my attention because I had a daughter attending the school at the time.

    • The district does not do a good job when they hire. Around 2008, Golden Valley High school had a female counselor who was messing around with a couple students, they also found cocaine in her posession. So you tell me how good a job the district is doing? They get paid quite well for the so-called teachers/instructors they’ve intrusted our children to.

  10. What’s the big deal? We have removed morality and prayer from public education, allowed lawmakers to take away parental rights and the ability to be involved in our child’s “medical” choices and yes we are always shocked and outraged when this type of thing happens. We reap what we sow.

  11. Guy subbed for my Calc class earlier this year. Talked quite a bit while he was subbing actually. I can only hope that its allegations. I don’t mean to speculate or guess any details but it feels like its pretty rare that someone gets booked and charged unless theres at least some evidence of something happening

  12. C’mon peeps, especially Jojo, don’t pretend like White Privilege doesn’t exist. Especially, at a time where a white cop in Minneapolis nonchalantly choked a minority suspect to death. A white cop with 18 prior complaints who would have kept his job if that suspect had lived.

    People of all colors make mistakes and this white substitute teacher, like all colors is innocent until proven guilty. Let’s hope Justice is served properly.

  13. If children were not in school since mid March how did he have physical access to the student in April and May with stay at home orders in place and where were the parents? I’m not sure we have the full story. If he did, I hope he rots for eternity.

  14. This is ridiculous, where is Will and his mask?

  15. So this happened during quarantine? Where did she tell her mom or dad she was going? Curious minds want to know.

  16. Lets take a step back real quick.. It says the victim disclosed to investigators that they were in a sexual relationship.. I know teenagers can be sneaky and secretive about things especially relationships, but honestly.. How did her parents not know? Where were they when the 2 were in this relationship? She did the right thing by telling someone.

  17. Alice complained that 70% of SCV is White—why is that a problem/bad?! For decades SCV has ranked one of the safest/top cities of it’s size! And that’s bad!? Liberals have degenerated cities from Seattle to San Diego! If one has proper behavior, one rarely has problems with LE & when they do encounter LE, there won’t be negative results because of proper behavior!!

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.