NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — A teaching assistant at Oxnard Street Elementary School has been pulled from the classroom after several young students accused him of inappropriate touching.

Police are investigating the assistant, and, in the meantime, the man will not have contact with children, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District The mother of a fifth-grade student at the school, 10912 Oxnard St., told reporters outside the campus that as many as eight students may have been inappropriately touched. She explained how she found out that her daughter was one of the girls allegedly touched by the man.

"I was called yesterday by the school principal letting me know that one of the teacher's assistants had touched my daughter inappropriately, along with seven other little girls," the unidentified mother told KTLA5. "I spoke with him personally, and yes, he believes it. He was very sorry that this happened, but the eight girls came into the office together and spoke up." The school district vowed to take the allegations seriously, assuring parents the district "takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and remains committed to the safety and well-being of students."

Another mother said her daughter was scared about what she was asked to do by the teacher's assistant. "There are more things that has been happening to the other girls, my daughter told me," the mother said. "He was asking the girls to be on their hands and knees, and started touching her on her back. When my daughter told me that I was really, really upset."

Los Angeles police Capt. McNeill Gardner said criminal or not, the alleged actions were concerning.

"As a parent, my children are grown now, if any instructor is touching my children in a way, even though it may not be criminal, that cause my children to be uncomfortable or cause me as a parent to be uncomfortable, it is clearly not the behavioral expectations we would want from our educators," Gardner said.