'Bodily Fluids' May Have Contaminated Some Do-It-Yourself Flutes Made In Capistrano Schools, DOJ Officials Say

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — The Capistrano Unified School District is recalling all do-it-yourself flutes and the materials given to fifth grade students to make the flutes after the Department of Justice informed them that a music educator, who is not an employee of the district, is under investigation for tampering with the materials used in making the pipes, and possibly contaminated those with semen.

Officials said the music educator guided students through the project in June using plastic pipes and cork to make the flutes. On Friday, the school district sent out a disturbing message that bodily fluid, most likely semen, was possibly present in some of the flutes. The district asks parents to immediately confiscate the flutes and seal them up to potentially be used as evidence in the ongoing investigation.

"We were informed that an independent contractor who provided a music enrichment program to the fifth-grade classes at Courreges Elementary School, in June 2017 gave the students flutes/recorders that were potentially contaminated with bodily fluids," Fountain Valley School District Superintendent Mark Johnson wrote in a letter to FVSD families.

Officials have advised the school that while the flutes are not "dangerous," they should be considered unsanitary, and that it would be "inappropriate for your child to continue to have contact with it."

The project was done at schools across Orange County, including students at Sonora Elementary School in Costa Mesa, according to City News Service and the Orange County Register.

Parents across the Capistrano School District have been notified in the following letter from Communications Officer Ryan Burris:

Dear CUSD Families:

We were notified late yesterday by the California Department of Justice of a pending investigation involving an individual, who was not a District employee, who may have provided music education and programs at some of our school sites, other venues throughout Orange County and at school Districts throughout southern California.
As part of this program, students may have received a flute made of PVC plastic piping and a single wine cork that they could decorate.
Today, we further consulted with law enforcement and were advised that these flutes may have been inappropriately contaminated with the suspect’s bodily fluid.
In an abundance of caution, we are asking all families who may have had children participate in this type of program either at school or within the community to remove these flutes from your child’s possession and place them in a sealed paper bag.
The District is working with law enforcement to determine how they wish to have these collected, should they need them for additional evidence.
Please do not bring these items to your school site. The District is advised that it is not dangerous for you to keep these flutes in a sealed paper bag, but it would be inappropriate and unsanitary for your child to continue to have contact with it.
We understand this is deeply upsetting to our families and that you may be seeking more details than we can provide.
The California Department of Justice and the US Postal Inspection Service are continuing their investigation and we are not able to provide further details until they conclude this matter. We will update you further as we receive further communication from local and state law enforcement.

Thank you,

Ryan Burris
Chief Communications Officer

Capistrano Unified School District photo

City News Service contributed to this report