Homemade PVC flutes allegedly contaminated with semen.

In one of the more disturbing news stories in a while, Southern California school districts warned parents Saturday that homemade flutes handed out by a music teacher with a non-profit group may have been tainted with the teacher’s semen. Here’s more on that from Joseph Pimentel and Louis Casiano Jr. of The Orange County Register:

Several school districts across Southern California posted updates Saturday, Sept 30 regarding a state and federal investigation into a person suspected of distributing homemade flutes tainted with a bodily fluid to children in school music programs. An official with the Saugus Union School District said she was told the fluid was semen.

The Fullerton School District and the Saugus district in Santa Clarita both issued statements saying the state’s Department of Justice is investigating a musical performer associated with Flutes Across the World, a nonprofit music program that has partnerships with school districts in Orange County and Los Angeles as well as with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

“The performer distributes a flute-like musical instrument made of PVC pipe or bamboo to students during a music lesson, and the allegation is that he contaminated some of these instruments with semen,” Joan Lucid, superintendent of the Saugus district, said in the email to parents Saturday.

…According to several school district officials, a performer from Flutes Across the World handed out handmade, do-it-yourself flutes made of PVC plastic piping and a cork that could be decorated on the outside to students who participated in the music program.

The program was involved with many other school districts in Southern California and with the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. The state Department of Justice and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating, and the state office of the attorney general confirmed Friday that they’re working with school districts and local law enforcement to collect flutes for testing.

[The Orange County Register]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.