Thankfully this post is not about Burlingame but given what we read on some of our longest running School posts like this one from October 2022 there may be some learning to be gained by looking at recent events at Pittsburg High School. The Chronicle had a piece about the PE teacher and football coach at Pittsburg High School that left me with many questions. First, some details with extra bolding:
When school officials in the East Bay city of Pittsburg were told that a high school football coach had been accused of groping female students, they reprimanded him repeatedly for at least a decade — but allowed him to keep his job after each instance, then to quietly retire. In an agreement on the terms of his departure, the district made a major concession: It promised not to tell prospective employers about the coach’s history.
The complaints about former Pittsburg High School coach Phillip Webb finally surfaced Wednesday after a lawsuit was filed by two of his alleged victims, young women who said he had touched them inappropriately when they were students in 2015 and 2016. Documents obtained by the women’s lawyers show that officials told Webb at least a half dozen times to change his behavior but never punished him.
The state Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued a reproval against Webb this May, but did not revoke the teaching credential he had been issued in 1985. He had taught physical education in addition to coaching football. That means Webb could still apply to other California school districts to work with youngsters. The agreement was provided to the Chronicle by Lauren Cerri, an attorney for the two women, who obtained it under the California Public Records Act.
Webb did not address any of the claims in the lawsuit, and said any further questions should be directed to his attorney. He has not been charged with any crimes.
You can read through many of the details on-line as it is a long piece. But it begs so many questions. Many incidents were reported by students and other teachers (e.g. 2007, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2022!). That last one was on a security camera. How many warnings do principals and superintendents hand out before they do something more? How transparent with the school community are they--and should they be when it's a "personnel issue"? Where's the school board oversight? One of the girls' fathers is quoted and is angry and confused by the apparent inaction, but at what point does a parent call their local police? We've read a bit about the Commission on Teacher Credentialing here on the Voice. What exactly does the CTC do? What sort of investigative resources do they have? How high is their hurdle?
What's up with the agreement about retirement in three months and the secrecy? Some of that is certainly personnel record law. That's where the Chronicle ends the piece
A 2014 law signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown made it easier for schools to fire educators who commit misconduct, but many still choose to allow them to resign or retire in order to avoid potential legal battles. Bills that would forbid schools from entering into secret agreements that keep misconduct hidden from prospective employers have hit a dead end in the California Legislature.
More questions. How easy is it to fire someone under the nine-year old law? All sorts of crazy stuff sails through the California Legislature and gets signed by governors, but this hits a dead end? What's up with that, supermajority?
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