FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The former principal of the middle school where prosecutors say teacher Beth Friedman fell in love with a teenaged boy testified Monday that he received two anonymous calls about Friedman's conduct.

William Bell, now the principal at Pompano Beach High School, told the jury hearing testimony at Friedman's statutory rape trial that one caller said Friedman should be "watched" and the other made an "accusation of impropriety."

Defense lawyer David Bogenschutz jumped to his feet both times to quash the testimony as hearsay, and was successful. Still, the six jurors learned that calls were received and that Bell spoke with a Broward County School District investigator about the calls.

The investigator, Kathleen Andersen, was among three prosecution witnesses who testified Monday, the fifth day of Friedman's trial. Andersen said she felt "uncomfortable" when she noticed that Friedman was being driven to school regularly during the 1998-99 school year by a middle school student who smoked.

Andersen

Andersen learned later that the student was Donald Vaden, then a 15- or 16-year-old student in Friedman's study skills class. The prosecution says Vaden, now 19, was also Friedman's lover, in violation of state law. Friedman, 42, denies she ever had sex with Vaden.

Andersen, who was living in a trailer on the grounds of Silver Lakes Middle School, testified that she went to Bell because she was concerned that a student was smoking in a teacher's car. There was no policy barring Vaden from driving Friedman's red Jeep Cherokee, Andersen said; it was the smoking that caused concern.

Bell gave Andersen permission to talk to Friedman about the situation. "I told her it could get her into trouble," Andersen said.

Bogenschutz tried to minimize the testimony. In response to the defense lawyer's questions, Andersen testified that witnesses told her that Friedman also drove other students to school. Most to the point of the trial, however, Andersen said she never saw Friedman and Vaden touching, hugging, kissing or doing anything that might be considered sexually inappropriate.

Since Vaden finished testifying last week about his alleged 18-month sexual relationship with Friedman, prosecutor Stacey Honowitz has been calling corroborating witnesses. Although none so far have testified to seeing Friedman and Vaden having sex, a neighbor said she saw them hugging in a swimming pool late at night.

Others, like longtime Silver Lakes teacher Morissa Levine, were called to establish that the relationship between Vaden and Friedman was unusual. Specifically, Levine testified that Vaden did not participate in class discussions but somehow managed to turn in stellar reports on the American presidents, feudalism and the Mohegan Indians. The testimony lends support to Vaden's previous testimony that Friedman was doing his homework for him.

Levine, whom jurors appeared to warm up to, said she complimented Vaden on his work and never questioned him about getting extra help from anyone. Honowitz got Levine to say that, in contrast to the allegations against Friedman, she never took students out at night and weekends to movies, dinner or the arcade.

In addition to pointing out that none of Honowitz's three witnesses saw any physical contact between Friedman and Vaden, Bogenschutz used them to his advantage in another way. Levine, Andersen and Bell all testified that Friedman was popular with students and teachers alike. Bell said she was a "teacher of the month" in 1999 and nominated for the annual award in 1998.

The principal also recognized the "certification of appreciation" he sent to Friedman.

Honowitz, however, got the last word on that issue.

"Because you gave her a 'certificate of appreciation,' that doesn't mean she's not capable of committing a crime, does it?" she asked.

The principal replied that it did not mean that.

The trial is being broadcast by Court TV. Tuesday's testimony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.