Visalia police arrested 49-year-old Eric Ford on Saturday after receiving a tip that he was having sex with a 17-year-old student.
Students at Golden West High were shocked to hear of one of their teachers caught up in a sex scandal with a student, even more so since Eric Ford's wife teaches at the same school and his kids are students there as well.
It's homecoming week at Golden West High in Visalia but students have something else on their minds. The talk on campus involves one of their teachers allegedly having sex with a student.
"It doesn't seem like it, like I have him for a class but he doesn't seem like somebody who would do that," sophomore Angel Pando said.
High school teacher Eric Ford is facing serious allegations. Visalia police arrested ford over the weekend and say he had sex with a 17-year-old student on more than one occasion.
"The sexual relationship occurred, or there were several incidents of it," Sgt. Candido Alvarez of the Visalia Police Department said.
Ford has taught business at golden west for 13 years.
"I don't know what to think of any of it, it's kind of sad," junior Brandi Rapley said.
Brandi Rapley is a student at Golden West and is close friends with Ford's daughters.
"Everyone is being mean to them about the whole situation too, as if it's their fault," Rapley said.
When news of the arrest broke, the district placed Ford on paid administrative leave while police continue their investigation.
"Well this is one of the worst things that can happen, we take safety of students and welfare of our students extremely seriously and when something happens, when one of our employees is accused of doing something so horrendous as this, it really upsets everybody," Visalia Unified School District Superintendent Craig Wheaton said.
Ford has since been released on bond. No one was home when action news knocked on his house.
But even if Ford isn't talking, students on campus are.
"I think that's stupid personally because he just ruined his life," sophomore Matthew Kyker said.
