Simi Valley High Lacrosse Coach Arrested For Lewd Acts With Student

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA) – A lacrosse coach at Simi Valley High School was arrested Monday on allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with a student.

Bijan Nickroo, 32, was taken into custody by Simi Valley police just before 4 p.m., according to Ventura County Sheriff's Office inmate records.

He is being held on one count each of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16 and computer-facilitated luring and solicitation of a child.

The investigation began on Dec. 13, when a school resource officer was notified of a possible child abuse case involving a student at the school. The ensuing investigation uncovered that Nickroo had engaged in sexual acts with a 14-year-old student, Simi Valley police said.

According to police, Nickroo set up a fake social media profile which he used to obtain pornographic selfies of students throughout the area. Police are still attempting to identify many of those victims and they are believed to have attended several schools in the Simi Valley area, but primarily attended Simi Valley High.

Nickroo had worked at the school as the head lacrosse coach, assistant football coach and yard supervisor beginning in June 2012, according to a police report. He has since been placed on administrative leave.

The school's athletics page Tuesday had a job listing for a temporary head coach for the boy's lacrosse team.

"When something like that happens, we're all disappointed," parent Carlos Guzman said. "It's a shame that even happened."

Nickroo is being held on $500,000 bail. He is due in court Wednesday.

"It's scary," parent Arianna Ruelas added. "You send your kids to school hoping that the people there will take care of them and will look out for their best interest. It's very sad to see that things like this happen, and that they can lie so easily on social media."

Local students said that it's important for children and teens to speak up if they sense anything inappropriate going on.

"If something like that happens, block them," student Mia Martinez said. "Tell an adult or your parents."

The Simi Valley Unified School District issued the following statement Tuesday:

"On December 16, 2019, the Simi Valley Police Department arrested Bijan Nickroo due to an inappropriate relationship with a minor student. Bijan Nickroo has been employed by the Simi Valley Unified School District since June 2012. He served as a lacrosse and football coach and was also a yard duty, all at Simi Valley High School.

"The SVUSD takes each and every reported act of misconduct seriously and is committed to aggressively pursuing any allegation to determine the truth and, if necessary, initiate the appropriate disciplinary or administrative measures. Last week, as soon as school and district administrators were advised of the allegations by the SVPD, Bijan Nickroo was imm ediately placed on administrative leave for the alleged misconduct.

"The SVPD has responsibility for the ongoing investigation. The school and district administration have and will continue to fully cooperate with the SVPD's investigation. Due to the legal constraints, which include the privacy protections due our students and confidential personnel matters, the details of this investigation and the minor victims cannot be disclosed. When the charges are filed, this case will be determined in a court of law.

"We wish to reassure all of our parents and guardians that the school and district have and will continue to take every precaution to ensure the safety of students and staff at our schools. Every parent deserves to know that their children are safe and treated with the utmost concern when they are at our schools; this is the foundational principle for providing a good public education. We hold this value at the highest possible level and will continue our work to uphold it."