What Has Been Reported

According to a press release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on February 27, 2026, Travis Takeshi Shojinaga was arrested on the campus of Viewpoint School in Calabasas on February 25, 2026. The DA's Office reports that the arrest followed a report by an 11-year-old student that Shojinaga was secretly taking inappropriate photographs of female students.

According to the DA's press release, Shojinaga has been charged with one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material and four misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a child under Penal Code section 647.6. The press release states that he was arraigned on February 27, 2026, pleaded not guilty to all charges, and that the court set bail at $1,000,000. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for March 12, according to the DA's Office.

The DA's press release states that Shojinaga reportedly taught at Viewpoint School for approximately ten years. District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman was quoted in the press release as calling the accusations “disgusting and deliberate violations of children's safety, dignity and rights.” The DA's Office stated that they believe there may be additional victims and encouraged anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

The case reportedly remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau.

The Civil Side: School Accountability

While the criminal case will focus on the conduct of the accused, civil claims in cases like these often raise a separate set of questions — specifically, what did the school know, or what should the school have known?

Under California law, schools owe a duty of care to the students in their custody. When a school negligently hires, retains, or fails to adequately supervise an employee who harms a student, the school itself may be held civilly liable. A civil investigation in a case like this would typically examine hiring practices, background screening, whether there were prior complaints or warning signs, what supervision policies were in place, and whether those policies were followed.

According to the DA's press release, Shojinaga had reportedly been employed at Viewpoint School for approximately ten years. The length of that tenure may raise questions about what the school knew or should have known during that period.

The Law: No Statute of Limitations for Victims

It is important to note that the misdemeanor charges in this case are brought under Penal Code section 647.6, which covers “annoying or molesting” a child. Some may assume that misdemeanor charges mean a less serious civil claim. However, CCP § 340.1(c) specifically lists Penal Code section 647.6 in its definition of “childhood sexual assault.” This means that the full civil protections of section 340.1 — including the elimination of the statute of limitations — apply to claims arising from conduct charged under PC § 647.6, regardless of how the criminal charges are classified.

While there is no deadline for the children's claims under CCP § 340.1, there can be meaningful advantages to involving a civil attorney early in a case. One of the first steps an attorney can take is to send a litigation hold letter to the school, placing it on formal legal notice to preserve all relevant documents — personnel files, internal communications, complaints, hiring records, and any other materials related to the accused. This creates a legal obligation to retain evidence and can help prevent the loss or destruction of records.

Reporting Additional Victims

According to the DA's press release, anyone who may have been a victim or who has additional information regarding Travis Shojinaga is urged to contact Sergeant Joe Cerda at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau at (562) 946-8216. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.