A former teacher at Santa Barbara Charter School was arrested for the second time in three months on child-related charges. This Friday morning, Steven Schapansky of Goleta was arrested in the Fresno area on a felony warrant of child molestation by Santa Barbara and Fresno county sheriff’s deputies.
Today’s arrest arose out of the original arrest on July 13, said S.B. Sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick, after a person came forward following the initial reports.
Schapansky, who taught 5th and 6th grades at the charter school, was accused of hiding cameras on campus and making recordings, including at locations where the children changed their clothes. He was charged with misdemeanor invasion of privacy with a recording device.
According to a lawsuit filed by one student’s parents, Schapansky had been making recordings for almost six years, and he worked at the school for seven. The lawsuit was filed against the Santa Barbara Unified School District and the charter school for negligence, said attorney Natalie Weatherford, as well as to get answers.
After the first arrest, S.B. Charter School Director of Education Laura Donner said Schapansky’s contract had ended on June 7 and was not being renewed.
The press release from the Sheriff’s Office iterated that cases such as these are handled jointly through the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Program to respect the need for information and support for victims through the judicial process. The program can be contacted at (805) 568-2400 or (855) 840-3232.