Schools play a profound role in the lives of children, nurturing students and preparing them for life, and teachers take on a large share of this responsibility. Unfortunately, there are some teachers who face allegations of misconduct, sexual harassment, or inappropriate behavior involving children. After investigations reveal evidence of wrongdoing, these teachers are often able to secure resignation agreements that keep serious allegations against them hidden and allow them to seek employment in other school districts.
The practice of allowing teachers who face serious allegations to resign with clean records has become so widespread across the country that it has its own name: “passing the trash.” Our district must take allegations against teachers seriously by pursuing their dismissal if the allegations against them are found to be substantial. If MUSD cares about children — all children, not just those in our district — then it has a moral obligation to ensure that proven offenders are never allowed to work with children again.
Through a public records request, The Union discovered allegations of misconduct against two former MHS teachers within the last year. In the records, it appears an allegation against Lance Brookner for inappropriately touching a student was not investigated in a timely manner. In an email to former Principal Francis Rojas on June 18, 2022, the student who raised the allegation wrote, “We dont want this to happen to other students ever again or for this to happen in the upcoming school year. Please do something about this.” Instead, the district only obtained a statement from this student on Aug. 29, 2022, after Brookner’s alleged sexual battery of another student on Aug. 22, 2022. If the school and district had acted decisively on the June 2022 allegation, the district likely would have placed Brookner on administrative leave and the alleged events of August never would have occurred. Further harm could have — and should have — been prevented.
Public records also reveal that Brookner and another teacher, Toby Anderson, entered into resignation agreements with the district; these agreements ensured that the allegations against them would not be reported to future employers. If MUSD had terminated the employment of these teachers and the teachers chose to take their cases to court, the district would likely have expended a significant amount of time and money on litigation. However, no amount of resources saved can ever justify continuing a cycle of abuse. School districts should work with teachers’ unions in the interest of protecting children so that it is not so difficult to fire dangerous teachers.
If MUSD does not take decisive action against serious allegations, similar incidents can happen in the future. Predatory teachers are more likely to prey on students if they know they will only face a mild consequence for their misdeeds. If the district continues to prioritize expediency, it will become complicit in future teacher misconduct that will hurt even more children.
MUSD’s lack of communication with involved students and their families is another injustice. The Union spoke to students who participated in investigations into the two former MHS teachers and found that at least two students were not followed up with after the investigation. The district should inform all parties about the resolution of a case, and, in particular, proactively check on the mental wellbeing of the students. It is difficult enough for a student to report allegations against a teacher, and worries about the teacher returning to the classroom can only heighten their stress.
While the alleged actions of certain teachers are egregious, many more teachers serve their students with care and respect. In the case that a teacher is falsely accused, presentation of the facts at an administrative hearing would likely absolve that teacher of blame. However, to reach this end, the district cannot continue to resolve serious allegations with resignation agreements.
If MUSD wants to put children first, as it claims, it must no longer “pass the trash.”