Nude photographs of a John Muir High School teacher were sent to more than 200 students, staffers and community members from his hacked district email account, officials said.

The email, with the subject line “Enjoy,” was sent July 10 and contained four nude photographs of science teacher Richard Rosa, which has since prompted a police investigation.

Investigators don’t believe Rosa sent the email and are looking into who might have sent it from his Pasadena Unified School District account, police Lt. John Luna said.

The email prompted the district’s Supt. Jon Gundry to issue an apology to the email’s recipients.


“If you received this email, I would like to apologize for any harm this email might have caused and want to assure you that we are working with the relevant authorities to investigate the matter,” he wrote.

After Gundry’s letter, the district’s human resources director received three calls from community members about the photos, Pasadena Unified spokesman Adam Wolfson said.

The incident prompted an online petition to save his job, even though Wolfson said Rosa is not in danger of losing his job.

Those who signed the petition praised Rosa for his teaching, with some calling him a “true professional.”


Reached by phone Friday, Rosa declined to discuss the email, saying only that it was “just a lot all at once.”

He began working with the district in 2007 and is a lead teacher at the high school’s Business Academy.

The email doesn’t appear to have been targeted to any one specific group.

Wolfson said the district plans to improve security measures to ensure employee email accounts are more secure.


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