Police are investigating a claim that Santa Clara Councilman Dominic Caserta pressed his clothed groin on a young woman, according to sources who spoke to San Jose Inside on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, at least three other people have filed police reports against the 43-year-old Santa Clara High teacher since the city put out a call on Wednesday urging potential victims to come forward.
It’s unclear how many of the claims will result in criminal charges—if any at all. That’s up to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Clara spokeswoman Jennifer Yamaguma explained.
The city has also been trying to find past police reports involving Caserta that seem to have either gone missing or never been filed in the first place.
Santa Clara Unified School District records show that officers in May of 2002 interviewed three high school girls who accused Caserta of sexually harassing them. San Jose Inside asked the police department for records of those visits, but officials say they have yet to find them. Though they identified a report from that same month involving student-on-student sexual harassment claims, they said nothing has turned up involving a teacher.
“Under today’s policing standards, an incident report would be filed for an allegation of this nature,” city officials stated in a press release. “However, it may be that a police report alleging sexual harassment or misconduct was not filed at the time. … At this time, the police department is actively searching its archives to determine if it has any police records, given that it has been publicly reported that an officer was called for service.”
In addition to rifling through paper archives for any paper trail on Caserta, the city will hold a public hearing at 7pm next Tuesday for the public to testify about the controversial civics teacher, whose council colleagues may ask him to resign in light of the misconduct charges that surfaced earlier this week.
Caserta—who maintains his innocence—went from being one of the frontrunners in a competitive Santa Clara County supervisor race to losing all major endorsements in the span of a day after San Jose Inside reported on numerous sexual harassment allegations against him. Two claims involving four high school students resulted in corrective action in 2002 and again in 2009.
But another more damning accusation came Tuesday from a campaign volunteer who worked with him out of his home up until last week. Lydia Jungkind, 19, said Caserta—who taught her political science class at Foothill College last year—caressed her thighs and hips, kissed her on the cheek, gave her massages and once summoned her to his bedroom while he was shirtless and under the covers.
Caserta’s former campaign manager, Ian Crueldad, as well as other sources said they witnessed some of the behavior and that the candidate would routinely walk around in nothing but his underwear or a bath towel around his waist.
San Jose Inside this past week has heard accounts from close to 50 former students, colleagues and campaign volunteers who affirmed that Caserta, who is tenured, has trouble controlling his temper, makes inappropriate sexual comments, ogles girls in class and engages in unwanted touching. Meanwhile, social media has been lighting up with comments about how Caserta’s impropriety has been an open secret for decades.
Clap once if Caserta creeped on you?? https://t.co/FwtlZSNn64
— Adriana? (@HeyItsAyedree) May 9, 2018
“I was in his class in 2004 and was on the receiving end of his actions,” one woman chimed in on a Facebook thread about Caserta. “The guy was a creep then and is one now. I didn’t think much of the incident then (everyone knew about how he was and what he did) but now thinking about it as a parent it makes my stomach physically sick.”
“This jackass should be removed from the classroom,” another commenter added. “I feel bad for any females that have this pervert as a teacher. I had him in 2002, he was inappropriate then. I guess he hasn’t changed after 16 years.”
Tamara Pantic, who had Caserta as a teacher at the end of 2016, said that while he never sexually harassed her, she saw him flirt with his teaching assistant and make jokes about some of the students’ virginity.
“There was this unspoken agreement that if your friend had to talk to him after class, then you stayed with them,” she said in a phone interview.
Pantic said her own problems with Caserta stemmed from his verbal and emotional abuse, which began with him screaming at her in the second week of the school year for pulling out her cellphone in class. She said he called her “disgusting” and “despicable” in front of the whole class. For the rest of the term, she said, her anxiety was so bad that she had to take antacids before walking into the classroom.
“I couldn’t speak up in class without crying or breaking down in tears,” Pantic said.
Though she eventually learned to endure his classes, she said he never apologized and that the anxiety has persisted into her college career at UC Berkeley.
To add salt to the wound, someone from Caserta’s campaign for supervisor left a door hanger and law sign with a personal message for Pantic earlier this year.
“He definitely did not have my permission to do that,” she said.
Records show that Caserta has been reprimanded by district staff before for using student information to solicit campaign support, but several students and their parents say that hasn’t deterred him.
“I, too, found Caserta’s behavior creepy and upsetting when I was a student,” said Sophia Kakarala, who took his class in 2015 and now lives in the United Kingdom. “At the time, I put it down to him being a bad teacher and a bit of an egotist. He abused his power in plenty of other ways: collecting and storing our personal details, pressuring current and former students into helping with his campaigns, having his teaching assistants, who were other students, go out and buy him coffee. I never put this together with his derogatory comments about women and his consistently strange treatment of female students. Knowing that students had been complaining for 12 years would have helped me see his behavior for what it was: misogyny and sexual harassment."
Students who took his class in the past year say Caserta’s alleged bullying and sexually charged behavior continues to this day and to this semester.
“Caserta is degrading, misogynistic and disrespectful to his students and fellow teachers,” said a current Santa Clara High senior who asked not to be named. “He bullies his student teacher and forces him to agree with his twisted comments in order to pass, and has accused students of being high or using drugs for no reason whatsoever. He makes passes at certain girls, and his intentions are disgustingly obvious. He spent a whole class taking about how women have used their bodies to trap successful men into tough situations, and showed us videos of Marilyn Monroe singing happy birthday to JFK and then ranting for 10 minutes afterwards about how hot her body was and how much sex they had. Another time he encouraged us to marry rich men if we wanted a future.”
She said she can vouch for the rumors about his temper, too.
“He’s like a raging ball of anger,” the 17-year-old said.
A former teaching colleague said she complained in the past about Caserta repeatedly calling her a vile expletive after she confronted him about violating a testing policy.
“During my last semester at [Santa Clara High School] he greeted me in the hall with, ‘you’re still here c---t?’” she said, asking to withhold her name for fear of reprisal. “Yeah ... that is the Dominic that I know. He ... has a healthy reputation for sexually harassing students and other teachers. We have all complained over the years but the district did nothing to change his employment and behavior.”
Some students said they wanted to submit complaints about Caserta, but didn’t know how to beyond offering a verbal report. Some of the students who told administrators about Caserta’s lewd comments, angry outbursts or flirtatious demeanor in class said they never heard any follow-up.
Councilwoman Kathy Watanabe acknowledged that she had long heard rumors of Caserta’s misbehavior, and that she’s relieved that the revelations surfaced when they did because her daughter was due to take his civics class next fall. Mayor Lisa Gillmor said she, too, had heard the stories, but they were always second- or third-hand.
“I was sickened to see the depth of this, the depth of these allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior,” Gillmor said. “And the comments keep coming. So I’m really trying to figure out, on behalf of the residents of Santa Clara, how to address this fairly and promptly.”
On Wednesday, the city hired Sam Singer, a high-profile crisis management firm, to help navigate the situation. Gillmor then scheduled the Tuesday hearing, which she hopes will give victims some recourse and help the city determine the scope of the problem.
“We’re treading on new ground,” Gillmor said. “As more and more people started sharing their stories, it became evident that we would have to be very responsible and, while recognizing that Caserta deserves his due process, provide the forum for the public to come forward.”
Caserta, who has yet to respond to San Jose Inside’s request for comment, has told other news outlets that he plans to stay in the county supes race and defend his reputation. His attorney, John Mlnarik, said this morning that his client has “no other comment.”
“The accusations against him are false and we look forward to clearing his name,” Mlnarik said in a text message.
The Santa Clara Unified, for its part, has offered little in the way of information except to say that Caserta still has his job and that the district takes the allegations “very seriously.”
“We have a process we use to investigate all allegations,” said SCUSD Assistant Superintendent of School Support and District Development Andrew Lucia, who also oversees all sexual harassment claims as Title IX coordinator. “We want to make sure that the process is followed appropriately. Employees have due process rights.”
Lucia could not immediately provide statistics about the number of sexual harassment claims the district fields year to year. And a request for the total number of complaints filed against Caserta were treated as a former California Public Records Act query, which will take another week or so to process.
But sources inside the district say poor record keeping, disbelief and fear of costly litigation has enabled Caserta to keep his job even though he continues to behave in ways that have resulted in formal discipline in the past.
Caserta has not showed up to work since Jungkind went public with her allegations on Tuesday, which quickly appeared on his Wikipedia page and landed him on an online database of accused sexual harassers called CreepSheet.com. He also skipped that evening’s council meeting—though his colleagues voted unanimously to excuse his absence—and was a no-show at a Thursday night candidate forum.
Jungkind, for her part, has been making appearances on TV interviews and speaking openly to reporters about her claims.
The culture of sleaze and family and friends first permeates all of the SCUSD organization especially at the top! I worked as Coordinator for Assessment for a couple of years and was truly appalled by the culture of backbiting and character assassination that permeated the Board and the District Administration! I had come from ultimate cesspool of sleaze, Santa Clara County Office of Education, with the likes of scumbags like Joseph DiSalvo! It couldn’t get worse! But the reality was that it was much worse at SCUSD than at SCCOE!
I can never forget the tolerated inappropriate actions of the SCUSD Board where Chris Stampolis would stalk 16 yr old boys and threaten a school principal with a fake “hand” gun! Where the district was censured by the state (another cesspool) for not allocating $3 Million Title III federal funds to the schools as required by law (at the same time sanctimoniously pursuing a middle school principal for a $25 supposed issue with a student fund that was totally exonerated by the chief financial officer of the District), and letting School Board members participate in the hiring of staff! I was forced out trying to whistle blow on the financial issues as well as advocating for real accountability.
The wink and nod acceptance of sexual harassment must end. Minimally, the Caserta sexual predator should be immediately removed from the classroom according to Title IX and The Sex Equity in Education Act in the California Education Code. If history (civics anyone?) is a guide, it is unlikely that the milquetoast, weak-kneed, obsequious, family and friends first administration and/or Board will act quickly! They will hide behind due process as long as they can protecting the predator. I would imagine that Caserta has plenty of dirt on the District Administration in light of the slow response.
There should be a full-fledged independent investigation of the SCUSD system as it relates to sexual harassment as it is clear that this is not just a special case problem but a systems problem. While they are at it, there should also be a full and complete independent financial audit of SCUSD because the system is full of professional crooks. And we must remember that the SCUSD crooks are much better (10x) than the crooks within the SCCOE system and that is saying a lot!
The inbred, family and friends first, and corrupt Leadership of SCUSD needs to change before this kind of systemic corruption and sexual harassment will be eliminated. The heads of this multi-headed venomous hydra need to be severed.
All true. 100% true.
Allegations since at least 2002 and he remained a teacher? Holy liability, Batman! Who does he think he is, a swim coach, or a gymnastics coach?
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This kind of problem permeates the entire state .edu system; teachers can do pretty much anything they want, and the school district turns a blind eye to it. I posted a comment about a teacher who physically hit kids, and called themvulgar names in front of numerous students and other witnesses. Nothing was done about it. At the time, Mrs. Smokey was a new Principal assigned to his high school, and when she was made aware of his actions she tried to fire him.
But the school district would not allow it! They didn’t support her (or the prior Principal, who also recommended that the teacher should be fired). But she is tenacious, and she finally got him fired… more than three (3) YEARS later! She had video evidence, and plenty of eyewitnesses. But in the mean time, he continued to collect his $100K+ salary.
School districts are in cahoots with the teachers’ unions, and they both work against Principals (who are typically caught in the middle, between the unions and the school districts). The reason is because unions and the school districts know they have a sweet deal going, with piles of taxpayer loot being shoveled at them, and with more money every year.
As a result, they won’t rock the boat—and they ostracize anyone who tries do the right thing (Mrs. S was being referred to as ‘that troublemaker’ before this ordeal finally ended and the firing was finally upheld).
If it’s that hard to fire a teacher who is seen on video hitting kids and calling them vile names, then it’s no wonder that Caserta’s Principal didn’t want to push it. Principals are essentially at-will employees of school districts—and they have families too, and a mortgage to pay, car payments, dentist bills, etc.
This problem is rampant because the “dot edu” system is so thoroughly corrupt. And as Gov. Moonbeam shovels more and more taxpayer loot into what he amusingly calls “Education”, our students’ test scores continue to bump along at the bottom of the fifty states, and behind almost every industrialized country.
Taxpayers are being fleeced by the unions and school districts that are conniving to keep this scam going, and they just love this sort of distraction. The district will happily throw Caserta to the wolves, while wringing their hands and crying crocodile tears as they continue fleecing the public out of education money. That money is far more than necessary, but it fails to educate, as every relevant metric demonstrates.
And some folks still wonder how Donald Trump got elected! The answer to that is easy-peasy: he was running against an ossified ‘old boy’ system in the federal government that’s even more corrupt than California’s .edu organized crime syndicate. That may be hard for those folks to believe, but it’s true.
What can we do about it? Going after sexual predator teachers is fine. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What can we do about the rampant financial corruption in the gov’t? It’s everywhere we look in federal, state, and local governments.
And it’s all about the money; our money, and how those entities can keep taking more and more of it, until they’re now confiscating half the money we earn! And for what? Our basic services are being neglected. But they’ll come back to the taxpayig public and beg us to vote for a proposal requiring us to pay again, for something we’ve already paid for! So we will be forced to pay twice for our infrastructure. Double! Apparently, the voting public can’t connect the dots, because this same pattern keeps repeating.
There’s something wrong with this system, folks. Why are these people not being prosecuted?!
Sadly, it’s because the fix is in. The judiciary—the citizens’ last line of defense against their ‘betters’—has been corrupted, too. The legal profession should be speaking out, loudly and publicly. Some are. But not nearly enough. They’re in it for the money, too.
What say you, JMO? Is it not as bad as that?
Excellent commentary Smokey! It’s always somebody else’s money! School Board’s eschew their responsibility to demand accountability from their superintendent. The superintendents work hard to cultivate a relationship with Board members and then bamboozle them with special case expositions of staff and student performance. They can easily take advantage of the inability of local folks to understand the difference between a system’s performance and special case.
In addition to money, power plays a big role as well. Since most superintendents cannot derive power from professional expertise, they must derive power from loyalty. Sound familiar. But it is the reality. Most superintendents, district administrators, and principals could not teach their way out of a paper bag. And the teachers all know it and accommodate as long as the leaders can insulate them a bit from the administrivia that bears down upon them. They put up with the schmooze in lieu of interference by amateur interference in their real work as teachers. A devilish pact!
If the Santa Clara city council felt the need to hire a spin doctor to shield themselves from Caserta, I can only imagine who the school district will bring in. I suppose Bill Cosby’s team is available now.
Hiring Sam singer will accomplish what exactly? He probably thinks that his strong working relationship with editors at the Merc actullay will change the narrative.
Thank you Jennifer for your great reporting! You are making a difference for the community and kids of Santa Clara. Kudos to you!
“Police are investigating a claim that Santa Clara Councilman Dominic Caserta pressed his clothed groin on a young woman”…..How can I possibly get into a crowded elevator now with a woman in it if I ever have plans to run for public office knowing that my “clothed groin” might conceivably, inadvertently scrape, press, brush, bump, or jostle some woman? I was once on a crowded BART train, seated, when a “husky idler” came waddling down the aisle, and as she passed, the motion of the train caused her balance to wobble and she briefly tipped to one side by accident and she pressed whatever body part (or cellulite) that was that would have been at the same level as my head while I was seated. Should I wait until she runs for office and tell someone?
This is what happens when we teach our young ladies not to slap men’s faces. All it would have taken was for one of those girls to haul off and slap this Caserta menace vigorously across the face and it would have been all over the school, the police would had to have responded and investigated on the spot and this nonsense, or not, wouldn’t even be an issue. Bring back the face slap and the female knee to the male groin. Also, teach our boys that if they see a “Caserta” acting disrespectfully to a young lady, it is OK to play basketball with his head while telling him why.
What planet are you from Robillard? Certainly not from earth! There is a very big difference between an inadvertent rub and a sexually purposeful pressing of the groin on a woman. Caserta was in the latter category. He is a sexual predator who should be punished by the fullest extent of the law. And the scumbag SCUSD administrators and teachers who protected him and abetted him should be fired and charged as well. We should have 0 tolerance for sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape that is pretty rampant in our society.
Please do not become an apologist for these sexually perverted sleaze bags! It does not become you.
Me thinks Robillard is just a troll… But in any case, thanks for bringing to light the cesspool of SCUSD, Bill. Really concerns us parents in this community.
Thanks Terry. I have supported school districts throughout the nation from Jackson, MI to Seattle WA to Cleveland, OH, to Roswell, NM (out of this world) to East Ramapo, NY. (This American Life did a a full show on East Ramapo) and I must say that I have never encountered so much mean-spirited, back-biting, skullduggery as I encountered in SCUSD. It is truly one of a kind as it relates to corruption in my 40+ years of experience. It must come to an end for the sake of the children, their families, and the community. Maybe this can be a new beginning for SCUSD. Let’s hope!
Ms. Howe and Mr. Conrad,
Were either of you actually there and did you witness what actually happened? I am no apologist nor a troll but anyone can make a bald, unsubstantiated, uncorroborated accusation against anyone. After that, persons such as yourself (probably well meaning) jump on the harassment bandwagon and convict an individual without his having any opportunity to defend himself. Maybe he is a pervert, but can we also entertain the possibility that some of these accusations are false or exaggerated? The most efficient way to deal with this problem, that would probably stop it in its tracks, is demonstrated here. This clip is from an overseas newscast but the principle is the same and should be adopted here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAzvUDlJH6E
My daughter works as a waitress, at an establishment that serves alcohol, and the last time someone got a little “fresh” with her, she slapped him and threw a drink in his face and an actual gentleman (there are still such creatures) then stood up and “helped” the ill-mannered slob to the door, and then to the sidewalk (face down). It set a tone and everyone else behaved themselves.
I’m a former student of his and none of these claims are exaggerated. The man is a PREDATOR, why do you feel the need to argue that people are exaggerating?! You’re a textbook victim-blamer. Why would you come here to say what you said?! I just can’t believe a person would be so heartless, it’s sick.
Also, by saying the claims are “uncorroborated” you are saying that people are lying!!! All of his former students are corroborating the stories! Why don’t you believe them? Were you ever in his class? He used to “adjust himself” while making eye contact with me from his podium (it had a gap in the front so you could see through it). He used to stare at my chest and lick his lips in full view of everyone. The man is SHAMELESS and disturbingly entitled. The district enabled his behaviour for years and years.
J.S. Robillard makes some good points. For example, who will draw the line re: ‘clothed groin contact’? Anyone who isn’t an eyewitness to the accusations is part of the torches and pitchforks crowd; “Hang him now! We can have a trial later.”
The principle here is, Innocent until proven guilty. My thoughts about the guy’s guilt or innocence is probably the same as the majority of readers. But that’s not the point, which seems to have flown right over the heads of the name-callers (and Robillard is certainly not a “troll”, Ms Howe).
In twenty or thirty, or even a couple hundred very similar cases, the guy is probably guilty, and he would have been found guilty in every case… except one. Sometimes it happens that for whatever reason, the torch and pitchforks crowd was wrong in their initial assumptions. So, do we string ’em all up? Because that’s the principle at stake here.
Another point is that some of these kids could be exaggerating. You think not? I’d bet that every one of them has had thoughts of lawyering up, and maybe not because they were so traumetized, but because they know that “He hugged me” isn’t worth much from a jury—but “He hugged me, then he kissed me on the cheek, and then he put his hand on my leg…” might be worth a bundle of money.
But if your belief is that every kid is telling the whole truth and nothing but, you’re not a very good student of human nature. I would wager some real folding money that, truth be told, more than a few of those stories was exaggerated. They hate him, see? And these kids were brought up believing that money is a god, here in the world capital of capitalism. Get it by hook or by crook, but get it, any way you can… and some of them mi8ght think, ‘Who will know? Just me ‘n’ Caserta, and I hate him, so if I take his money it’s A-OK with me!’
It’s not his guilt or innocence, it’s the rush to judgement. There’s a rational process that’s set up to determine the truth, as best we can. It was instituted to counter human emortions; almost always a very good thing. How would Bert, ‘Former Student’, and others like them enjoy being on the receiving end of the same kind of emo-‘justice’ that too many otherwise normal folks exhibit here?
As some folks have commented, the whole system is corrupt. And THAT is a far more serious problem. Fix the system, and teachers liuke that won’t get far before they’re busted.
You must be sharing the pot with Richie who has a connection with Caserta as well. Oh, yeah, a 16 year old CHILD is supposed to slap him
WACKO. These young people were bullied. What about the heavy set girl or boy who saw this flirting in class? Caserta made them feel worse. That is why these kids purge themselves, stupid. They are OUR kids. Time to start getting angry for them.
Mr. Oliver. I don’t believe that a 16 year old is a child but lets not quibble. If this was widespread, as it well may have been, why teach young people to be passive little victims waiting for 10-20 years before speaking up? If this problem was pervasive, why not teach these kids to stand up, in solidarity as a class, and all walk out and go sit on the lawn. When the principal sees the entire class out there, the principal will start asking questions. When every student in the class reports the same thing, and gets on their cell phone in the presence of the principal and tells their parents as well, believe me, something will get done, either by the principal or the 30-40 irate parents who will converge on the area. We need to teach kids to stand up for themselves, not coddle them and teach them to talk about their “feelings” all the time, like good little victim-sheep. The only feeling they should have with the Caserta’s of the world is rage and righteous wrath. It’s not that difficult, even a “child” can do it.
This is not the Dominic I have known and worked with for years. How about “innocent until proven guilty?”
Please! You are a special case. There are plenty of credible allegations against this creep. He was even written up once by the corrupt SCUSD administration. He should have been put on paid administrative leave at a minimum until these cases can be resolved. But he obviously has some significant dirt on the administrators at SCUSD who can no longer hide but continue to drag their feet. Shame on them and Shame on you. These are children. We must error on the side of protecting our children which SCUSD has failed to do for many years as it relates to the Caserta scumbag.
Shame on me? I am a mother and a grandmother. I simply simply stated my opinion. If you don’t like it, move on.
Barbara, why don’t you believe the students who have bravely come forward? I mean this with no disrespect whatsoever–you haven’t seen this side of him because he’s not sexually attracted to you. He’s a predator.
This is how predators work Barbara …. I too was also a former student and all of these allegations are actually true. Maybe you weren’t his type? Not trying to be rude but it’s obvious he had a type which were young female students … I know it is your opinion and it’s hard to believe his because it then makes you look like you took the bate but all of this is true. I have personal stories myself dealing with him.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Teacher’s Union has nothing to do with protecting this guy? Of course, and of course, Barbara is right. Let the evidence be seen and have a public hearing. The problem is Union’s don’t allow it and this stuff goes on without the public knowing about it.
http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20180511/NEWS/180519950
Mr “I protect the worse of the worse” Union Rep. Please claim it’s an isolated incident, it’s not. There will be more of this coming out. If BLM has one legitimate claim, it is that the Police Union’s protect bad cops. But this was deal made with the devil, Public Sector Unions.
While it come be that the school district is basically corrupt and Caserta had enough dirt on others to keep his job, it now appears that JUSTICE is about to catch up with him. Caserta may want to seek a job in the Trump administration.
I think more logically he should now seek employment with the 49ers. They wouldn’t turn their back on him in his job of need–would they?
Maybe he’ll find Jesus real soon.
Why seek a job in the Trump administration, Gary? He’s been just fine all these years as a registered Democrat running for office as a Democrat in a town full of Democrats working for a school union full of Democrats.
Own it.
> He’s been just fine all these years as a registered Democrat running for office as a Democrat in a town full of Democrats working for a school union full of Democrats.
Excellent observation, Mr. Cunningham.
Which raises a very serious question:
Why didn’t the system work? Caserta has apparently been a miscreant for a long, long time and yet “the system” failed to suppress or discourage his bad behavior.
What SHOULD have happened, and when, to put an end to Caserta’s obnoxious and abusive behavior?
Whose job was it to prevent or stop Caserta’s bad behavior? Who dropped the ball? Who should be held accountable?
Does the Democrat Party own the Caserta problem because California’s one party Democrat politics protected him?
Heart goes out to victims, including his wife and two year old son who must suffer through what you did. Social media lives forever. Pride goeth before the fall. He’s finished. Deservedly so. Even in this Age of Trump, it’s over for you, Dominic. You are kaput. Best you can do is mitigate the pain you caused your victims and family. Resign now, get help. Not for yourself, but for those you could injure in the future.
You mean in the age of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, huge Democrat donors all these years? Yes, agreed. Al Franken says hello.
Bill Conrad yes you know the behaviors that occurred regarding funding and harassment . Yes you and I and other whistle blowers have suffered retaliation for reporting violations of mismanagement of funds and cronyism. Thank goodness for in depth investigative journalism . It does not surprise me the SCPD have no record because one officer stated to me they don’t take reports against the SCUSD when I reported harassment against my son from a substitute teacher in 2010. No disciplinary action was taken to remove this substitute teacher” . Ironically I got a note in my file to stay quiet or risk termination . This is the type of Retaliation that happens ?
Thank you for your courage and perseverance Teresa! It is good to hear from you! You were definitely one of the targets of the SCUSD Administration and probably still are. Be safe and Be careful. Si se puede!
Teresa and Bill,
You are both spot on! The culture of harassment and retribution must be stopped. The investigation into SCUSD must start with the district office, specifically Kathie Kanavel and Andrew Lucia, two of the most corrupt and evil people on the planet. These two are the architects of badness in SCUSD and are primarily responsible for the current state of things in the district. People need to ask questions related to where money goes and why. Kathie and Andrew, people know your bad deeds and are coming for you…..
Yes, I agree that an INDEPENDENT (not internal!) investigation needs to start with the district office. Andrew Lucia (Title IX and Assistant Superintendent) have failed to thoroughly investigate complaints of sexual harassment; I can attest to the negligent and dismissive manner that they do not take all allegations “very seriously.” Needless to say, I have yet to receive any follow-up or resolution letter regarding my formal grievance complaint. (And the creep is still employed, still preying on students and staff.) By writing this, I am sure I am even more of a target, but this is the dismaying, unfortunate truth.
Teresa and Bill, I am sorry you suffered retaliation from SCUSD; no one should ever fear or be threatened with reprisal for speaking/sharing the truth! When victims come forward and report to the very people whose responsibility is to protect you (i.e. students and all staff), but are left feeling discarded and disenfranchised, who can you trust in such a corrupt, bureaucratic institution?
The operative word here is trust. You cannot trust anyone within the SCUSD system at this point. Not even an apology has emerged from the cesspool. We start with apologies first and then begin the INDEPENDENT investigation and financial audit with an eye to transform the system.
The fact that Vickie Fairchild has chosen to run for School Board is a hopeful sign.
Every hour you hear something new about caserta. These poor students
Caserta is and always has been a malevolent narcissist. He has long thrown violent verbal tantrums and insults to anyone who opposes him or ventures to think differently. I have known Dominic for a long time and have reported his behavior throughout those years…..and nothing was done. Dominic is the definition of mysoginist in that he truly loathes women, especially those that are not small, blond and demure. I am none of those things. Dominic sized me up instantly and found me to be unf@#$able and thus an enemy. For context, when this appraisal of my worth happened, I was 6 months pregnant and very happily married. This is who he is. He is a predator. There are hundreds, if not thousands of women (girls when they were his students) that have experienced his rage against women. I can only hope that all of us that have experienced his rage find a lawyer to sue his ass and that of SCUSD, who protected him all this time.
Surely Caserta actually had sex with some of his young targets. Will any such fool step forward? Apparently Caserta is married. Is there a dissolution of marriage case yet? I don’t see it online (see Santa Clara County court smart search). But Caserta did file a small claims case in 2015 against a woman and lost. I see that case. A divorce case can be sealed and kept confidential.
That was a traffic case.
We need to send pedophiles like Caserta away, to a jail cell.