SAN DIEGO, Calif. (NEWS 8) -- A local couple is speaking out about inappropriate texting between their daughter and her teacher at Westview High School.
The parents complained to the Poway Unified School District when they found the texts on their teenager's cell phone.
“He would say, ‘Night, night sweetie’ and ‘send me a picture,’” said the teen’s mother.
The texts document many private communications between the Westview teacher and the 17-year-old student.
News 8 is not identifying the parents in order to protect the teenager, who is no longer attending Westview High.
“It wasn’t two or three texts that I'm upset about. It's a whole year or more that they had this relationship,” said the mother.
Some of the texts seem innocent: “Where's dinner? Sorry I won't get to see you." the teacher wrote.
Others seem to cross the line.
“You just better not forget me"... "OK good. My BFF,” he wrote.
"Have a good night. I miss my little buddy" the teacher wrote to the girl one evening past 11 p.m.
“To me, when a male teacher is texting my daughter at 11:30 at night he is now in her bedroom. He has crossed all boundaries between a teacher and student relationship,” the mother said.
The parents filed a complaint with Poway Unified. In addition to the text messages, they had other concerns.
“This teacher invited her to go to lunch one day. And she texted back 'my friend's going to come.’ And he ended up canceling the lunch because the friend was coming,” said the teenager’s father.
Poway Unified conducted an investigation and records show the teacher admitted that some of the texts were inappropriate.
But the teacher did not get fired.
“He has been disciplined. They won't tell us what it is because they can't. It's all private,” said the father. “We said to them we want him removed and they're refusing to do that.”
Many local school districts have policies forbidding teacher-student texting for personal, nonacademic purposes.
Surprisingly, Poway Unified did not have a social media policy in place until after this texting incident came to light.
In a written statement to News 8, Poway Unified said it expects all its employees to maintain professional and ethical standards when interacting with students.
"When a concern is brought to our attention, it is thoroughly investigated and the appropriate corrective action is taken when necessary,” the statement said.
“I'd feel better if he was no longer teaching. So until that happens, I'm not going to feel better because there's going to be other girls in his classes and exposed to him,” said the father.
The teacher is still working at Westview High School. News 8 is not identifying him because he has not been charged with any crime. News 8 reached out to the teacher in question but he did not respond to our request for comment.
“We want to warn parents and make sure they're aware that you've got to check your kid's texts. You have to know what's going on in their world,” said the mother.
Westview High School’s current principal is new to the school and was not involved in the texting investigation.