Pomona Unified School District said in an email to The Pomonan that it was cooperating with Pomona police, but did not say whether Village Academy High School teacher Todd Arthur Cottam was still assigned to duties involving students after his reported arrest.
A Nov. 9 message addressed to Village Academy families, timestamped 7:10 p.m. in a screenshot reviewed by The Pomonan, said the district had learned that Cottam was detained by law enforcement. The message did not describe the circumstances of the detention or say whether his duties had changed. The district’s career and technical education page lists Cottam as a film and broadcasting teacher at Village Academy.
SGV CityWatch reported on Nov. 10, citing Pomona police booking information, that Cottam was arrested Nov. 9 and booked on suspicion of arranging and going to a meeting with a minor for lewd conduct. The outlet reported that he was scheduled to appear in Pomona Superior Court on Nov. 12. The Pomonan has not independently obtained the booking record or verified whether the appearance took place or prosecutors filed charges. It remains unclear whether a PUSD student was involved.
The Pomonan asked the district when school and district officials first learned of the matter, whether Cottam’s assignment or campus access had changed, and whether families had received any updates since the Nov. 9 message.
District spokesperson Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence cited student and employee privacy in declining to discuss specifics. “The District is fully cooperating with the Pomona Police Department and will continue to provide appropriate assistance as the investigation proceeds,” he wrote.
Gonzales-Lawrence referred questions about the investigation to Pomona police. His reply did not address the district’s timeline, Cottam’s assignment or whether families had received a follow-up.
The Pomonan is an independent online magazine covering Pomona and the surrounding region.
