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Law firm urges Barstow board to reconsider internal superintendent appointment, cites past abuse litigation
Summary
A law firm reading a public comment letter told the Barstow board it should reconsider appointing the district's assistant superintendent as superintendent, citing past litigation, revoked credentials and a principal's criminal plea that, the letter says, raise student-safety and fiscal concerns.
A law firm reading a public comment letter told the Barstow Unified School District board on Feb. 11 that the board should seriously reconsider promoting its assistant superintendent to superintendent, citing past district litigation and credential revocations tied to sexual abuse allegations.
Mrs. Crane read the letter from Mojave Valley Law during public comment. The letter said, "the district has been subject of serious litigation arising from the sexual abuse of minor students by district employees" and named cases in which "two Barstow Unified teachers had their credentials revoked by the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing" and a principal "pleaded no contest to oral copulation with a minor and was sentenced to county jail." The letter said the same administrator is now a candidate for superintendent.
Why it matters: the letter framed the appointment decision as one with both safety and fiscal implications. It referenced a January 2025 FICMAT report and AB 218-related insurance-cost increases to argue that prior settlements and today's liability landscape increase financial risk to districts.
Board reaction and next steps: the letter was delivered as public comment and the transcript records a brief acknowledgement from the dais; no board vote or formal response is recorded in the public meeting on Feb. 11. The letter requested the board consider student safety, fiscal responsibility and institutional accountability before making the appointment.
What the letter alleges: the submission cites public reporting and court records and states the district previously resolved at least one case "by entering into a substantial settlement agreement," and that the administrator named in that litigation is being considered for the superintendent post. The public comment urged caution given statewide increases in liability exposure.
What the district recorded: the transcript shows the letter was read into the record and acknowledged; the board did not debate the specific allegations during the meeting, and no staff response addressing the facts of the letter appears in the public portion of the transcript.
Provenance: public comment letter read aloud to the board (public comment delivered by Mrs. Crane).
