Let’s Speak Up Press Release, May 10, 2018
Let’s Speak Up, a local advocacy group formed to educate, empower and advocate for the safety and well-being of students, discovered today that the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) has recommended the appointment of a new principal at Carmel Valley Middle School (CVMS) who has a questionable employment history which includes a Title IX investigation regarding the coverup of sexual harassment of minors in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD).
On May 8, 2018, the SDUHSD issued a press release announcing the recommendation of a new Principal at CVMS[ii].  On May 10, 2018, Let’s Speak Up received information identifying a serious Title IX complaint against the Palo Alto High School administrative team, which included the candidate selected to serve as Principal at CVMS. Title IX complaints include sexual harassment and misconduct claims. Details of the investigation are available on the PAUSD website[iii].
“This is a clear example of the concept called “passing the trash,” a tactic where school districts cover up misdeeds and individuals are free to move into new schools or school districts with an apparent clean record,” said Lea Wolf, co-founder of Let’s Speak Up.  “Let’s Speak Up demands that San Dieguito Union School District conduct a more thorough background investigation, including consideration of leadership abilities of the proposed incoming new principal at Carmel Valley Middle School. In addition, we suggest that all future, prospective district leaders and administrators be subject to more thorough investigations. Our parents and our students deserve high quality leaders who will support and protect our students.”
In the past several months, cover up of similar Title IX complaints have plagued the SDUHSD. Reporters at the Voice of San Diego recently uncovered examples of misdeeds at La Costa Canyon High School[iv] and San Dieguito Academy[v] which demonstrate poor leadership, inability to follow established procedures to protect children and “passing the trash” in the SDUHSD. Similar to PAUSD, SDUHSD has policies in place, but those policies to do not appear to be followed or enforced. SDUSHD students deserve administrators who will put students first.
According to an U.S. Government Accountability Office report[vi] entitled, Federal Agencies Can Better Support State Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse by School Personnel, “the failure of U.S. schools to protect students from sexual abuse by school personnel is a story of school administrators and district cover-ups, lack of training, incomplete teacher background checks and little guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.”
The mission of Let’s Speak Up is to educate, empower and advocate for the safety and well-being of students. Let’s Speak Up developed a proprietary web-based application to enable students and parents to report abuse, bullying, and other issues that harm children. Let’s Speak Up can act as a de facto voice for students and parents who fear retribution and retaliation. Learn more about the application and how it works at https://letsspeakup.org/file-a-complaint/.
Let’s Speak Up is a collaborative effort bringing communities together to focus on the safety and well-being of students. Learn more about how to get involved and volunteer opportunities at https://letsspeakup.org/volunteer/.
Let’s Speak Up joins the #metoo #neveragain #timesup movements to say Enough is Enough! For more information, please visit www.letsspeakup.org