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Parents press board for transparency after KQED report; board says teacher not on campus
Summary
Parents and teachers urged Redwood City School District leaders to disclose what the district knew about a teacher identified in a KQED report and to detail hiring and oversight practices; board president said the teacher is not currently assigned to campus and cited AB2534 requirements.
President Weekley opened the May 13 meeting by addressing a KQED article that prompted parental concern over student safety, saying the teacher referenced "is not currently teaching at the school site" and that the district is reviewing policies and procedures. "As a parent of children in the district, it's very concerning when we learn something about student safety," President Weekley said.
During public comment, several parents demanded fuller disclosure about the district's hiring vetting and subsequent oversight. Pam Barerish, a kindergarten teacher at Henry Ford School, told the board that teachers struggle with high Bay Area costs and urged fair compensation to retain quality staff. "Please compensate the very best appropriately so that they...can afford to earn a living wage in the area that they teach in," Barerish said.
Bri Henny said she learned of the KQED article only recently and urged "full transparency as we go through this process," asking whether the district had asked prior employers if the individual was eligible for rehire and what safeguards were in place. Sarah Hefarbach asked for a retroactive review of district hires in light of the bill AB2534, which the board referenced earlier as requiring disclosure between districts about credible complaints and revocation reasons. "I'd like to understand what the safeguards are," Hefarbach said.
Clifford parent Josh Levenson said he filed a formal Title N complaint and temporarily pulled his children from school; he criticized the district for relying on narrow eligibility flags in databases rather than acting on prior employer findings. Online commenter Jonathan Ku asked bluntly whether the board thinks it is acceptable to employ a teacher fired for inappropriately touching students and what the district would do about it.
Superintendent Dr. Rubicaba and staff told the board the district investigates complaints carefully and uses new tools that improve visibility into credential and complaint histories since 2022 and AB2534 (2025). Staff also cautioned that personnel case details are limited in public forums for privacy and legal reasons. The board encouraged the public to submit specific questions and indicated staff would follow up.
What happens next: Parents requested a retroactive review of hires where relevant complaints exist and public reporting where appropriate. The board cited AB2534 and said the district will continue to use best practices in hiring and will report back as permitted by law. No formal policy change or vote on disciplinary matters occurred at the meeting.
