A lawsuit filed this month alleges that Viewpoint School in Calabasas failed to act on reports from parents and students that a teacher was taking upskirt photos of young girls, dismissing the concern by commenting that the educator was gay.
A lawsuit alleges that Viewpoint School in Calabasas ignored parents' reports that a teacher was taking upskirt photos of fourth and fifth grade girls, dismissing the complaint by saying the educator was gay. The teacher was arrested in February 2026 on child molestation and child pornography charges.
A lawsuit filed this month alleges that Viewpoint School in Calabasas failed to act on reports from parents and students that a teacher was taking upskirt photos of young girls, dismissing the concern by commenting that the educator was gay.
The complaint names Travis Takeshi Shojinaga, 39, a teacher at the $54,000-a-year private school, who was arrested in February 2026 and charged with one felony count of possession of child abuse material and four misdemeanor counts of child molestation.
According to the lawsuit, in December 2024 a student and another girl reported that Shojinaga was taking upskirt photos with his iPhone while sitting with them at lunch, placing his telephone beneath the table and making them uncomfortable. The documents describe the conduct as ongoing and not limited to a single incident.
When a parent took the complaint to Claudia Antoine, the head of lower school, she reportedly expressed surprise that Shojinaga would be interested in girls, commenting "he bats for the other team," the papers say. Viewpoint characterized the child's concern as a possible misunderstanding and made no meaningful attempt to determine whether the allegation was true, the suit argues, including any inspection of Shojinaga's phone.
In the more than a year between the report and his arrest, the documents say, other incidents were reported. One involved a child standing on a chair to reach supplies when Shojinaga came immediately behind her with his telephone out, causing her to believe he might be photographing her. The child did not promptly complain again, later explaining she second-guessed herself after the first complaint, according to the lawsuit.
Students reportedly worked out a hand signal to warn each other when the teacher approached and went to the girls' bathroom to avoid him.
Prosecutors in the complaint filed by District Attorney Nathan Hochman claim Shojinaga took secret videos up the shirts of the fourth and fifth grade female students he teaches. The 8-year teacher allegedly took recordings of the 10 and 11-year-old girls by bending down and pretending to pick up trash or tie his shoe, the court filings show. After his arrest, he told authorities he had an addiction and had taken 50 to 60 recordings. He said taking and viewing the photos made his heart race, the documents said.
The parties, who are unnamed in the lawsuit to protect the identity of their children, are seeking economic damages from Viewpoint, including payments for medical and psychological expenses.
Viewpoint told the California Post, "The moment we learned of allegations of photos taken by Mr. Shojinaga, we immediately notified law enforcement. He was arrested that same day and his employment was terminated. We continue to cooperate fully with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Any suggestion otherwise is completely false."
Antoine retired after 35 years in 2025, according to the school's Facebook page.
Shojinaga is currently free on $1 million bail. A protective order granted by the court says he must stay away from his alleged victims and Viewpoint. His next court date is November 11.
This article was generated with AI assistance.