Clovis East teacher arrested for sexual misconduct with a student

Clovis East High School teacher Kenneth Lee, 50, was arrested for sexual misconduct with a student on Mar. 13, 2019. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLOVIS PD

Clovis Police Detectives arrested 50-year-old Kenneth Lee on Mar. 13 on two counts of sexual misconduct. Mr. Lee is a teacher at Clovis East High School in Clovis. In December 2018, a Clovis East student made a report to school staff of the inappropriate actions of her teacher in which Clovis Unified and CUSD police began an investigation.

Clovis Detectives took over the investigation and determined that inappropriate touching had occurred on more than one occasion inside Mr. Lee’s classroom. A warrant for Mr. Lee’s arrest was issued and detectives arrested him without incident at the Clovis Police Department.

Kenneth Lee was booked into the Fresno County Jail on the following charges:

  • PC 288 (c)(1)-Lewd and Lascivious Acts With a Minor Age 14 or 15
  • PC 647.6 (a)(1)-Annoying or Molesting a Minor

At this time, only one victim has been identified. Anyone having additional information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective Ryan Swank at 324-3425.

Clovis Unified’s Communication Officer, Kelly Avants was able to provide a statement on the Mar. 13 arrest:

The arrest today by Clovis Police of long-time foreign language teacher Dr. Ken Lee on a single misdemeanor and single felony charge is deeply disheartening. The charges filed reflect behavior that is utterly unacceptable by anyone working in a trusted role with students. In Clovis Unified we expect every interaction between our staff and students to reflect the highest level of professionalism at all times, and if there is any question that this standard has not been met we take it seriously and investigate thoroughly.

Dr. Lee has not been in class since mid-December, which is when we were alerted to a concern raised by a student of unprofessional behavior in the classroom by Dr. Lee. We immediately contacted local law enforcement, who began an investigation.  This investigation, and the subsequent decision today by the District Attorney’s office to file charges against Dr. Lee have taken more than two and a half months, during which time Dr. Lee has not been on our campus.

A long-term substitute teacher has been assigned to Dr. Lee’s class since this investigation began. Since making our report to law enforcement, we have maintained close communication with the student and family involved in the initial report to ensure they are kept well informed and supported.  We appreciate the work by Clovis Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office to act on our report.