California high school teacher arrested after planting hidden recording device in school’s all-gender bathroom

A California teacher has been arrested on child pornography charges after he allegedly placed a hidden recording device in an all-gender bathroom near the school pool.

Siu Kong Sit, 37, a math teacher at Beckman High School in Irvine, was detained at the school on Monday after it was revealed that he had been secretly recording students while they were in the bathroom.

Sit was charged with possession or manufacture of child pornography, robbery and two misdemeanors, according to the Irvine Police Department.

Sit’s alleged predatory behavior was discovered after a contract maintenance worker found the secret recording device in the bathroom.

It was turned over to school administrators, who alerted the police.

Investigators found ‘images of multiple victims’ on the recording device and are trying to identify more victims who may have been secretly exposed.

A photo shows the high school’s ‘all gender bathroom’. A contracted maintenance worker at the school found the secret recording device in the bathroom.

No further details of the ‘recording device’ have been shared, but the charges Sit faces suggest it was used to take pictures or video.

It is not clear if all the victims were students, or if they may have been teachers as well as administrative staff.

Sit, a Santa Ana resident, was booked into the Orange County Jail. Bail for him was set at $20,000, online court records show. It is not clear if he has retained an attorney at this time.

As of Wednesday morning, there was nothing about the teacher’s arrest on the school’s website.

When contacted by DailyMail.com, Beckman High School was not available for comment.

A letter sent to parents by Superintendent Mark E Johnson stated: ‘Yesterday, our school community was faced with a difficult matter involving alleged criminal misconduct on campus by a Beckman High School employee.

“Yesterday morning, staff found what appeared to be recording devices disguised as smoke alarms in each of two unisex restrooms located on campus near the pool deck at Beckman High School.

Beckman High said it was cooperating with police and a private company had been contracted to search for further possible recording devices.

‘Upon finding the devices, management immediately contacted the Irvine Police Department (IPD). IPD began to investigate the situation, trying to determine the owner of the device through forensic analysis.’

The letter continued: “Last night, IPD informed us that they obtained evidence linking these devices to a Beckman employee.

“At this time, we can confirm that IPD has arrested the employee and he is currently in custody.

‘In addition, TUSD has placed the employee on indefinite administrative leave and will conduct its own investigation in coordination and parallel with IPD.

‘At this time, the District is not aware of any specific details related to the functionality of the video recording devices, how long the devices were in the restrooms, or any information related to the content that may have been recorded.

“We realize this is disturbing, and we strongly believe that it is necessary to share this information with our community as soon as possible under the circumstances.

‘Counselors are available to any student or staff who need to speak with someone. In addition, we want to offer our assurances that we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation and to confirm that any final actions taken will be based on the facts and the law.

“While we cannot comment on any details, as the investigation is ongoing, any educator misconduct will be dealt with to the fullest extent possible, under applicable rules for due process related to disciplinary action.

“Please note that Beckman staff have inspected every restroom on campus and no similar devices have been discovered.”

Johnson added that a private company had also been contracted to perform additional device scanning.