The investigation started last Friday after rumors began circulating that the eighth-grade science teacher at Haydock Intermediate School starred in a pornographic video on the Internet.
Superintendent Jeff Chancer said he has seen the video, which he described as "hardcore pornography." After viewing the footage, the district decided to put the unidentified teacher on paid administrative leave.
"It has been alleged that one of our teachers is depicted in at least one pornographic video and possibly others on the Internet," Chancer said in a letter to parents.
The video didn't involve any Oxnard School District students, according to officials. Chancer said they were not yet sure if the teacher was in the video.
"We have not 100 percent identified it as that teacher yet, but based on the allegation, we can put an employee on paid administrative leave," Chancer said.
School administrators also asked teachers to discourage students from searching or downloading the video on the Internet. But parent Olga Cervantes said it's too late. Her daughter saw the video on a smartphone during nutrition break.
"She said everybody was hovering over each other, looking at this video," said Cervantes. "This is during school time. I'm like, 'Where are the people that are taking care of these kids to make sure that they are not using the phone?'"
Victor Manriquez said he's never heard of something like this happening at a school, and he's concerned for his 11-year-old daughter, who will be attending Haydock next year.
Some people in the community said the porn allegation is not a big deal.
"Nobody even cares about it. Personally, I don't care," said Yaneli Anbrez, who has two cousins who attend Haydock. "It's her outside life. I would have cared if she did it at school or something. But it wasn't inappropriate."
Tania Rangle, the teacher's neighbor, agreed, saying it's a private issue.
"I'm pretty sure there are other people out there that are worse...so I don't think it should be such a great deal whatever she does behind her closed doors. It's her private life," said Rangle.
A few concerned parents attended the Oxnard School District Board meeting Wednesday night, hoping to learn more. But it was business as usual at the meeting. The superintendent refused to discuss the porn allegations publicly.
"Until we investigate it and 100 percent determine that the allegations are true, we're not going to divulge any information of where we're at. We're investigating the situation," said Chancer.
There's no moral turpitude clause in the teacher's contract, Chancer said. But if the allegations prove to be true, she could face disciplinary action, including termination.
Two years ago, Haydock Intermediate was involved in another scandal. School officials investigated allegations that a boy and girl engaged in oral sex in the back of a classroom while the rest of class watched an educational film. Officials did not release the results of that investigation, citing privacy concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
