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Teacher Who Inappropriately Touched Girl Is Back At Work; Father Outraged

EASTVALE (CBSLA.com) — A father is stunned and outraged that a teacher who inappropriately touched his daughter has been allowed back in the classroom.

"I'm mad, I'm angry, I'm disappointed," Tony Smith said.

Math teacher Thomas Britain had inappropriate contact with Smith's daughter at Norco Intermediate School in 2012, according to court documents.

An arrest warrant reads in part, "Jane Doe bent over to pick up her cell phone in the doorway of Britain's classroom and she felt Britain smack her on the backside."

Investigators said the incident followed claims by 11 other students who also accused Britain of lewd or inappropriate contact.

Ultimately, the two serious charges of child annoyance against Britain were dropped, and he was only convicted of a misdemeanor battery charge.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District has now put Britain back to work at River Heights Intermediate School in Eastvale.

"As with any employee cleared of any misconduct, the district returned the teacher to work following the notice that the teaching credential was reinstated. The teacher was placed in a vacant position at River Heights Intermediate School," the district said in a statement.

Smith said he will file a lawsuit against the district.

"The district should have never allowed the man back in the district," he said. "I want him to understand that what he's done is horrifying. My little girl now won't even ride her horse outside of the property because she's afraid of repercussions from him."

CBS2's Tom Wait spoke with Britain's attorney, who said, "The fact that the Riverside D.A. dismissed the more serious charges in the case speaks to their lack of evidence and my client's innocence."

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