Former Special Education Assistant Daniel Garcia faced the accusations of three different charges for sexual misconduct with a minor and his only punishment was three years of formal probation.

Garcia’s initial court date was April 5, but it was postponed until August 25. He then entered a no contest plea which resulted in Garcia never actually facing a trial.

According to documents from The Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles, Garcia was charged with one count of California penal code section 289(H) which states “any person who participates in an act of sexual penetration with another person who is under 18 years of age…” penal code section 647.6(A)(1) which states “every person who annoys or molests any child under 18 years of age…”, and penal code 261.5(C) which states “any person who engages in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor..” The last charge was the only one he was convicted with.

Until he was able to post bail for $100,000, Garcia spent eight days in Los Angeles County jail. Aside from this, his only punishment was probation.

Garcia’s punishment was far too lenient, given the fact that sex crimes against minors are viewed by society as the worst type of crimes. All he has to do is report to his probation officer once a month

Such a mild punishment, for a crime committed against an Los Angeles Unified School District student by an employee, is a red flag regarding safety in schools. As students, we no longer trust that we’re safe and if anything were to happen, the person responsible wouldn’t receive the appropriate consequences.

In order for students to once again feel safe, the justice system must sentence sex offenders who commit crimes against students more harshly. Sex offenders offenders should not be able to walk free.