San Marino Unified hearing continues on employee conduct, packet of court records with Social Security number distributed to parents

San Marino Unified School District convened a special administrative hearing to review allegations tied to health clerk Leida Escamilla and former football coach Nathaniel ("Nate") Turner, with witnesses testifying about a packet of documents that included court records and a handwritten Social Security number.

The hearing continued after testimony from a series of witnesses, including Amaris Bell, who described a personal abuse history involving Turner and identified court filings she said she had made. Bell told the panel, “They’re not allegations. It’s a fact. This is what happened to me,” while describing incidents and two restraining-order filings she said she pursued in 2023.

Why it matters: parents, boosters and district staff debated two issues that the board said are central to the case — whether confidential or privileged records were circulated to community members and whether the employee who requested the hearing should be required to testify. The administration argued the hearing must proceed with full witness access; Escamilla’s counsel said she may assert constitutional protections and that the board’s process does not compel testimony.

Most of the hearing focused on witnesses who described how a packet of documents about Turner was assembled and shared. Cassandra Zapaterino, identified in testimony as a booster-group leader, said a parent meeting at her home on Aug. 27, 2023, produced a packet that parents planned to show district officials. Several witnesses described meeting at Zapaterino’s house and agreed the group decided to present the material to district leadership rather than immediately publicize it to the full parent body.

District staff and the hearing officer reviewed those materials in public. Dr. Linda De La Torre, the district official who said she received a packet from parents, identified a Los Angeles County Jail booking record inside the materials that included a handwritten Social Security number on page 7. De La Torre told the panel she had the packet from a parent gathering and that the copy she reviewed contained the handwritten data; when asked whether she knew who wrote the number or when it was written, she said she did not.

Booster and community witnesses gave mixed testimony about the origins and handling of the packet. Cassandra Zapaterino testified that some documents in that packet were pulled by parents from public court dockets (including filings by witness Amaris Bell) and that other material was brought by Pat Escamilla; she testified the packet was delivered in a manila envelope. Counsel for Escamilla acknowledged parents shared information with district officials but disputed assertions that the packet was intended for broader distribution.

Several character witnesses spoke on Escamilla’s behalf. Joseph Syer Wong, a 2023 graduate, and parents including Jacqueline Liao and James Boitnott described Escamilla as a trusted health clerk who supported students. Kelly Quito, a Huntington Middle School teacher, said Escamilla regularly organized medication and safety protocols for off-campus trips and served as assistant cheer coach.

The administration pressed the panel to require Escamilla to testify; Escamilla’s attorney argued she has the right under the collective-bargaining rules and constitutional protections not to be compelled to give testimony that could be used against her, and said counsel would advise her whether to assert the Fifth Amendment. The hearing officer repeatedly said the board had the right to examine a party to the proceeding and noted the district also lacked subpoena power for some potential witnesses.

On procedure and rulings: the hearing officer denied the administration’s renewed motion to dismiss the proceeding for the respondent’s asserted refusal to meaningfully participate (ruling: denied without prejudice). The board accepted several exhibits into the record; one Los Angeles County Jail booking and property record that includes a handwritten Social Security entry was marked and received into evidence.

Next steps: the panel directed both sides to submit written closing briefs (no replies) and set a deadline: hard-copy briefs delivered to the district office and addressed to Board President Chang by April 3 at 5:00 p.m. The board said members will deliberate in closed session after the written submissions are filed and the transcript is available.

The hearing record reflects contested factual and legal issues: whether the packet contained privileged/confidential information and how it reached parents; whether evidence in the packet should be considered; and the extent to which the board may rely on parties and third-party witnesses who decline to appear without subpoena. Testimony in the hearing referenced court filings including temporary restraining-order applications dated June 30, 2023 and a later filing on Aug. 15, 2023, and a dismissal entry dated Sept. 5, 2023, all of which witnesses said they had seen on public dockets.

The hearing remains open; the board scheduled deliberations after receipt of the written closings.