Dr. Phil Interviews Miramonte Students Who Claim To Be Victims Of Mark Berndt (VIDEO)

Alleged victims from Miramonte Elementary school went national about the allegations against teacher Mark Berndt in a Thursday episode of "Dr. Phil."

Two mothers and their daughters, represented by attorney Brian Claypool, spoke to Dr. Phil with their backs to the camera. They described how Berndt would inappropriately touch students and feed them what investigators say was his own semen.

One mother said that while her daughter is aware that something "bad" happened to her, she does not know the full significance of the allegations against Berndt. She told Dr. Phil that her daughter knows that she ate cookies with a kind of "poison" on top.

Investigators from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department allege that the former teacher used to feed students cookies with his own semen on them.

In the segment above, Dr. Phil asks two Miramonte students about their experience with Berndt, who now stands accused of lewd acts upon dozens of children.

Speaking backstage, the two children reveal some disturbing details about what it was like when Berndt allegedly fed them cookies.

The girl on the right described the cookies that Berndt allegedly gave her. "He gave me, like, a vanilla cookie with white frosting. And they had red and green sprinkles." She continued, "it tasted weird, but I didn't say anything... it tasted like I never tasted it before."

The girl on the left described the cookie's frosting as "slimy," saying that it "tasted like saliva." This student also claims that Berndt would touch her inappropriately. She said, "He used to touch on my parts that he wasn't supposed to" while complimenting her clothes.

This is the second time that alleged victims represented by Claypool have given television interviews about their experience. Last week, Los Angeles local news station KTLA aired a segment featuring a 10-year-old girl who claimed that a female teacher helped pick victims for the accused molester Mark Berndt.

Investigators from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department reacted to the KTLA interview by saying that the allegation that a teacher helped Berndt "is not true," reports KPCC. KTLA updated their story with the LASD's response.

Comments

[SylviaS]

09:32 AM on 02/23/2012

I'm not a fan of dr. Phil but I did tape that show. He didn't lead the girls or even bring of the specifics of the incident. They were in an isolated area away from the audience. They didn't seem to know about any of the allegations. They said they liked the teacher before he shook one of the girls shoulders and threatened to cut off recess If they told that he took pictures of them. The revealing, and only valuable part of the interview was that the girls said he came into classrooms and told other teachers he needed them. The other teachers instructed them to go. So other teachers were in on it. The lesson of the show was that children should tell, tell, tell. Children should understand that if any adult or authority figure asks them to keep a seret, they need to tell their parent. Always the parent. Someone like another teacher or a principal may not help them as was the case here.

[1differentdrummer]

05:55 AM on 02/19/2012

What is Phil thinking of? This is another reason he's never on tv at our house.

[ariadneg33]

10:03 PM on 02/18/2012

What happened to those two little girls in the classroom was a horrible crime, but so was the interview itself.
The exploitation of children on National TV is a crime. And frankly, Dr. Phil as a paternal figure recreated the first trauma by coaching them to tell their story about eating the semen topped cookie. I am outraged and Dr. Phil has some explaining to do. Where are you Children's Rights advocates on this issue?

[fun4all]

12:38 PM on 02/18/2012

Today's lesson:
What is the difference between Dr. and Md.?

Hint: one makes you an actual medical professional and the other says you were able to write a passable dissertation on a given topic.

[RobietheCat]

04:40 AM on 02/18/2012

This WAS a huge story until Whitney's death in BH.

Still, props to Dr. Phil for sending this to a global audience.

[cuteliberalchick]

02:00 AM on 02/18/2012

This whole thing is just wastage of time.

[Kendall Hawley]

06:13 PM on 02/17/2012

Media coverage on this story is out of control and it's NOT benefitting the children, just putting innocent teachers at risk of a witch hunt. The parents and unscrupulous reporters should have been ashamed of themselves for putting that little girl on KTLA and the sound of the lawyer crying made me want to throw up. The motivation behind this is purely ratings, not helping children or uncovering the truth. Get these kids some REAL help and opportunity to work through what happened to them so they can move on with their lives and stop putting innocent peoples' livelihoods at risk.

[patches04]

12:46 AM on 02/18/2012

Kendal Hawley, what happend to these children is a crime. If it is true and pictures and tests indicate that it is, he should be whipped through the streets and have to eat mud.

[Kendall Hawley]

01:37 AM on 02/18/2012

Please, I am all for real, true justice. But they put this little girl on the news telling the world that her female teacher whose classroom was next door delivered her to this abuser and watched the whole thing, knowing exactly what was going on. They didn't name the teacher, but calling her a female teacher next door to the accused, I doubt it's difficult for anyone on campus to find out to whom this girl was referring. Without anything resembling due process, lives can be absolutely ruined. Imagine being an innocent teacher and someone implies you sexually abused your kids? KTLA is trying to stoke the fires of a witch hunt for ratings, only making the situation worse.

What does that have anything to do whatsoever with justice?

[Ariel Bonzai]

08:34 AM on 02/23/2012

The school district would be investigated in a civilized society. How does this go on and the people running schools are directly responsible, yet we don't protest the facy they're breaking laws and creating the situations we are hearing about now by putting its agenda-- to avoid lawsuits---above the welfare of children. Dr. Phil panders to the lowest common vdenominwtor and exploits these children to get ratings. I'd rather see him confront Supt. Deasy about the harm he caused when he failed to inform parents about the crimes.

[locnar69]

01:32 PM on 02/17/2012

Does anyone have a problem with the death penality on this one.I sure wouldnt

[rsk4405]

12:45 PM on 02/17/2012

so dr,phil is now a real doctor,wow he got his mail order drgree finally hes legal but still just a stupid hick who just jabbers for oprah

[patches04]

12:46 AM on 02/18/2012

rsk4405, you are one sick puppy.

[PirateJohn]

03:20 AM on 02/18/2012

You don't get mail order degrees from the University of North Texas. Might wanna learn what you're talking about before posting.

[critiqueyouall]

11:19 AM on 02/17/2012

Dr. Phil's motivation for interviewing these kids may or may not have been to benefit the kids, but either way, it does benefit them.
As a survivor of sexual abuse as a child, I can say with certainty that having the kids talk about it is the best thing they can do, even if they don't yet understand what happened. The more they say it out loud and the more people they say it to, the better.
We all know that the schools principle telling them that they were lying was the wrong thing to do, because it tells the children that they can't go to an adult with this sort of information, because they wont be protected. Well, tell the country all about it on national television does just the opposite. It gives them back the power that was taken away and lets them know that even though the first person or people they told didn't help them, that most people do care and will help, and they should tell, tell as many people as you can. There should be no secrets left (other than these kids' identities), and when all the details have been told, they should be told again, and again, and again, and we should all be listening with care and concern.

[patches04]

12:46 AM on 02/18/2012

critiqueyouall, very well written.

[jacval60]

12:47 PM on 02/18/2012

I too was a child of sexual abuse,but do you really think that airing this in front of the whole aorld is good for these children? For Doctor phil it is all about ratings.

[critiqueyouall]

05:35 PM on 02/18/2012

I really do, very much so. Dr. Phil IS all about ratings, and if it didn't benefit them, I'm sure he would still do it.
Did you get therapy, jacval?
I had therapy from age 8 to 27 and talking about it with the therapist helps A LOT, but talking about it to whomever will listen is where the healing really takes place.
Sexual abusers thrive on keeping those secrets, and the more people that know, the more power you are taking back from them. Those girls should learn not to be embarrassed to talk about it, everyone should actually, even those that are not abused. When we talk openly about what has happened and what can happen, we are shining a light into the dark corners where these predators hide. Even more important, the more they talk, the more they will realize that THEY have nothing to be ashamed of. When we tell them that they are being exploited and they shouldn't be taking it to national television, we are also telling them that it's okay to keep those secrets.
If my kid were being kidnapped in a crowded mall, I would want him to yell as loud as he can, to let everyone who can hear know that their life is being threatened, and that he needs help and protection. Same goes for sexual abuse. Yell, kick, scream, and tell the world.

[fattrucker]

10:50 AM on 02/17/2012

i like dr phil but i do think he exploits people for ratings and then dumps them

[happy ending]

10:18 AM on 02/17/2012

and they claim that homosexuals are a danger to children... this country is f*#ked

[patches04]

12:48 AM on 02/18/2012

happy ending, this country is great and is getting better every day. Pedophiles are rampant and yet the Catholic church and some evangelical churches get their panties in a wad over homosexuality. One women on Huffpo thought homosexuals were pedophiles. Much education needs to be done.

[Ariel Bonzai]

08:45 AM on 02/23/2012

Getting better? How so ?

[larmarch5]

10:04 AM on 02/17/2012

As horrific as it is to actually hear these children tell about their abuse, it is perhaps when they are NOT allowed to tell about it, or when the people they tell do nothing or tell them to be quiet. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/03/local/la-me-teacher-20120203

[socalcde]

08:19 AM on 02/17/2012

I’m questioning the decision making of these parents to take their children on Dr. Phil TV show with this story. It seems like more exploitation to me. I also question parents using their young children to protest this situation in front of the Miramonte school, such as the 9 year old holding photos of the teachers with painted on devil horns.

[patches04]

12:49 AM on 02/18/2012

socalcde. nope it is good to have the children "tell" their feelings and stories. Why aren't you more upset with the sicko teacher?

[jacval60]

12:52 PM on 02/18/2012

I to think the same,even the Government does not give the names of children or allow them to be showed on TV by the media to protect them when they are victims of child abuse. Doctor Phil the channel that sponsors him are more then likely paying the parents for this interview. You see it all the time even Casey Anthony has been offered money to appear on TV interviews.

[ebanks84]

06:54 AM on 02/17/2012

Ghastly! The thought makes my stomach curl. Besides getting proper jail time, he should also be condemned to eat somebody else's semen at every meal he has for the rest of his life. Just allow all the prisoners to pile it high and serve it to him forever.