Ventura School Board Fires Teacher in Sex Case

The board of the Ventura Unified School District has fired Harvey Kochel, the Ventura High School teacher and football coach who recently pleaded guilty to having sex with a teen-age student.

The board announced Kochel’s firing after a closed-door meeting Tuesday night.

Board President Terence Kilbride said state law mandates that a staff member be terminated immediately when convicted of a felony.

“We had very little discretion in this matter,” said Kilbride, who is also a deputy district attorney. “And even if we did, I doubt very seriously we would have done anything differently.”

Board member Diane Harriman agreed, saying she was “horrified” by Kochel’s actions.

“I’m glad he’s out of the classroom,” Harriman said. “It’s a shame he let himself get tangled up with this. He’s old enough to know better.”

Kilbride said Kochel has been forced to surrender his teacher’s license to the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing and is effectively barred from working in California’s public school system again.

Kochel, who has been employed by the district since 1973, pleaded guilty Nov. 5 to six felony counts of having sex with a 16-year-old girl over a seven-month period.

Kochel was placed on unpaid leave after he was arrested and charged with the felony crimes Sept. 30.

The 48-year-old coach, who is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 15, faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison.