Brad Ratcliff -- L.A. High School Football Coach, Dean of Discipline -- Arrested for Possession of Child Porn

LAPD

Brad Ratcliff, Dean of Discipline and alleged perv

When LAPD officers searched the home of West Adams Preparatory High School administrator Brad Ratcliff on February 2, they found something with which no man who hangs around underage boys all day should be caught dead: photos and videos of underage boys.

Today, police investigators posted the item to the LAPD blog, "asking for the public's help in identifying possible sexual abuse victims of Bradley Ratcliff, a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) employee."

Ironically, 53-year-old Ratcliff served as Dean of Discipline for the school, located at 1500 West Washington Boulevard, in the Pico-Union area of South L.A.

It's a relatively new campus, and an experimental one:

The Los Angeles Unified School District collaborated with non-profit organization MLA Partner Schools in 2007 to create what the school's website calls a "neighborhood turnaround" prep school, population 2,700:

In a setting similar to a university, students at West Adams Prep enroll in one of six thematic small schools, each with its own academic focus. Students enjoy personalized instruction and stronger relationships with their teachers and cohort as they study within a supportive academic community. Each school offers innovative instruction, is academically rigorous, and provides unique educational opportunities through partnerships with leading community organizations and corporate leaders.

Life at West Adams Prep is about school pride and being a member of a vibrant academic community. Though each student studies within one of six small schools, all students at West Adams share the identity of being a West Adams Prep Panther. West Adams Prep offers a comprehensive learning environment that goes beyond the classroom to include athletics, performing arts, clubs and activities, and other rich resources that all students are able to access.

Ratcliff was also the school's first varsity football coach, making a mention in the Los Angeles Times in 2009 for his team's initial success:

Brad Ratcliff, who used to coach at North Hollywood, has built the West Adams program from scratch, and to knock off a Marine League team in his season opener speaks plenty.

"We're trying to make some noise," Ratcliff said.

In the search of his home on February 2, police told City News Service they found "numerous child pornography images and videos containing male victims,'' but do not yet "have any evidence that the images/videos Ratcliff was in possession of are of current or former students."

Ratcliff is currently on paid leave. He posted the $20,000 bail directly following his arrest, but is due back in L.A. court on February 25 for his hearing.

We noticed some Tweets concerning the Dean Ratcliff scandal from apparent West Adams students today:

Twitter

Twitter

Looks like the L.A. news hounds are now racing LAPD officers for tips on other possible inappropriate behavior from Ratcliff -- and looks like one schoolkid may have seen it coming.