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Former counselor says she was removed without cause; commenters allege district misconduct
Summary
Three public commenters alleged serious personnel and safety concerns: a caller alleged misuse of authority and upcoming depositions; Charlotte Downey, a former Woodside counselor, said she was removed without due process and is pursuing Downing v. Sequoia Union High School District (case 24 CIV 02971); a consultant urged trustees to engage directly with complainants.
Three members of the public used the board's public comment period on March 25 to raise allegations about district conduct and to ask the board to pursue accountability.
Danny Moleri, calling in as a remote commenter, alleged the district is approaching nearly $4 million in debt and said depositions scheduled for early April will name district leaders. He alleged mishandling of student files and that district officers had "amnesia" about who released records; those are claims Moleri presented without documentary proof in the meeting.
Charlotte Downey, who identified herself as a former school counselor at Woodside High School, told trustees she had repeatedly sought an internal investigation into what she described as disability discrimination and that she was removed from her position in a meeting on April 19, 2022. Downey said her district email was deactivated, she lost health insurance by April 30, and that since losing her job her anxiety worsened and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Downey said she now represents herself in Downing v. Sequoia Union High School District and has filed an amended complaint naming Superintendent Crystal Leech, Assistant Superintendent Todd Bill and Shaw HR Consulting; she provided the case number (24 CIV 02971) and a public link.
"For the past three years, I have begged the board of trustees to investigate my claims of disability discrimination," Downey said during her three-minute comment. She urged the board to follow its policies (citing board policies 4030 and 4032 and the uniform complaint process) and noted she had not received a response. Downey asked the public and trustees to review the amended complaint, which she said is publicly filed.
Jeremy Array, a consultant who said he has worked with organizations on leadership and turnaround, told trustees the district must practice "accountability, moral courage, transparency" and encouraged them to engage directly with individuals who raise concerns rather than relying on legal responses. "When people bring these things forward, they're not doing it for fun. They're doing it because they really can prove what they're bringing up," he said.
Board practice and response: district policy language presented earlier in the meeting reminds the public that the board does not act on non-agendized matters and that concerns raised at public comment are typically referred to staff for investigation or action when appropriate. Trustees did not take formal action on any of the comments during the March 25 meeting; staff follow-up was not announced on the record during the public-comment segment.
What was provided on the record: Downey supplied a case name and number (Downing v. Sequoia Union High School District, 24 CIV 02971) and a bit.ly link she said points to the amended complaint. Other allegations raised by commenters were presented as claims; the district did not provide documents or staff responses during the meeting.
Next steps: per board protocol discussed at the meeting, matters raised during public comment typically are referred to staff to investigate or otherwise handle according to board policy.
