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Parents and students urge board to reinstate Beechwood PE teacher amid complaint
Summary
Dozens of parents, current students and alumni urged the Fullerton School District Board to reinstate a Beechwood physical-education teacher placed on leave; one parent publicly alleged the teacher posted students’ images on personal social media and said he had filed a complaint.
A crowd of parents, students and former students packed the Fullerton School District board room on Oct. 14 to urge the return of a Beechwood physical-education teacher placed on leave and to press for a fair, speedy process.
"He's turned the PE program around," said Brandon Blakey, who told trustees he has worked alongside the teacher for 10 years and described broad community support. "He's shown so much care and heart for all of the students at our school."
Several speakers cited a petition of 591 signatures supporting the teacher and described him as a mentor who raises students’ confidence and participation. "He makes PE fun, he makes it challenging, and he makes us believe in ourselves," said Victoria McLeod, an eighth-grade student.
One parent, Chris Evans, said he had filed a complaint and alleged that the teacher had posted videos of students on personal social-media accounts and assigned video submissions that included his daughter. "I want that phone scrubbed. I want that image removed," Evans told the board, saying he sought protection for his child and worried about online permanence and retaliation.
The district told the board there are limits on what it can disclose about personnel investigations. At the start of the meeting, the president reported that the board had approved a closed-session settlement with an employee identified in the record only as "employee number 7617" by a 4-0 vote; the board did not state in open session whether that action was related to the public comments at this meeting.
Supporters and defenders of the teacher urged the board to ensure a just process. Jennifer Gambino, a PE aide who said she works at Beechwood, asked trustees to treat the teacher fairly and noted that many staff take and share student photos from campus events for legitimate purposes.
What happens next: The board did not announce any personnel action in open session tied to the complaint; trustees said personnel deliberations occur in closed session when appropriate and that public comment would be considered in the larger personnel process.
