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Teacher to have case heard after controversial dismissal
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In March, longtime Aragon High School teacher Bill Faustine was removed from his post as psychology, engineering and physics teacher by the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees.
Though district officials remained mum on the details of the case, Faustine said at the time the complaints stemmed from comments he made in an honors class during a section on the psychology of sex.
The district will meet with the teacher for a mandatory settlement hearing on Aug. 1, said David Weintraub, Faustine’s attorney. Faustine said the district may choose to offer him a settlement at that time.
District Superintendent David Miller would not confirm that a settlement hearing was scheduled, stating that he would not comment on personnel matters.
Immediately after the dismissal, Faustine and Weintraub said they had appealed the decision and planned to take the case to a three-person panel in an attempt to clear Faustine’s name. The panel would consist of one teacher chosen by the district, one chosen by Faustine and an administrative law judge. The hearing was to be held in May.
But according to Weintraub, the district asked for a postponement of the hearing, which Faustine agreed to only on the condition that the district begin paying him again, which Weintraub said the district agreed to.
Dozens of his students, former students and their parents participated in a rally outside the district meeting in March, and some students have continued to wear T-shirts and buttons supporting the teacher they say is innocent.
Former Faustine student Addie Lefczik, who was in his engineering and technology class this year and just graduated, said students will plan another rally at the settlement hearing.
“I really hope he gets his job back because I know he likes teaching and he’s a good teacher and he’s definitely positively influenced a lot of people’s lives,” she said.
Nonetheless, she said she would understand if he chose to settle with the district and retire early.
“I could understand if he doesn’t want to come back to a school that has done this to him,” she said.
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San Mateo Dad said:
LOL - STILL no apology from a guy who supposedly cares so much for his students, and so much for the community??? Yeah, I guess he really cares about all of us. If he didn't do anything wrong, he should invite all of us to a meeting where he can explain exactly what he said, and what he meant by it. He hasn't and he won't. He has completely let all of us down. What a failure of responsibility. and for those of you who continue to defend him and promote harassment of the students who complained, SHAME ON YOU. Shame Shame Shame.
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San Mateo Dad said:
Has anybody heard from the teacher about telling us all what he said, and what else is in his file that got him fired? anybody? Didn't think so. Sure would be nice if the teacher apologized to his students for all the negative consequences of his actions. I guess we don't live in a perfect world, where people take responsibility for their actions, eh? Nice "civics lesson" he is teaching everyone.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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San Mateo Dad said:
Examiner Reader: That's a nice excuse, but it doesn't wash with me. If he wants to be let back into a classroom, he needs to show me that what he said wasn't harrassment. If he's so sure of it, he should simply tell us what he said. I find it odd, at best, that you don't care to hear his explanation. My speculations aren't baseless. Yours, of course, are ENTIRELY baseless. I DO know what he said. I DO have a basis for an opinion. It's YOU that needs to know what he said. It's you who have an opinion based on idle speculation. I'm all in favor of allowing him to give context and situation. If he wants defenders, then he needs to prove he deserves to be defended. Given what he said, the onus is on HIM to prove his case. It's not as if he is saying that he didn't say what was said. But he hasn't. And that speaks volumes. He is the one who torpedoed his career, not the offended students.
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Examiner Reader said:
San Mateo Dad, Did you come up with those baseless speculations all on your own? Here's an alternative. Maybe he hasn't told people what he said because that is the completely standard and practiced legal approach to these kinds of situations. Making statements outside of a legal setting in a situation like this leads to nothing but being quoted out of context and having your words manipulated. That is the absolute last thing Bill Fasutine needs right now. Clearly whatever Bill Faustine said was borderline, and there are obviously ways that it can be interpreted as being offensive. He does not need to give people like you an opportunity to take his words and try to find a way to make them sound as bad as possible but neglecting context and situation.
4 agree | 4 disagree
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San Mateo Dad said:
Why has the teacher not told all of you what he said? (I'm guessing he is ashamed.) Why are the students uncomfortable repeating what the teacher said? (I'm guessing because it makes them really uncomfortable.) Why hasn't the teacher told us what is in his file that has subjected him to this draconian discliplinary approach? (you can guess as to that) All reasonable questions for ALL of us to ask, don't ya think?
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San Mateo Dad said:
For some reason, my posts are getting deleted. Very odd. Anyone care to explain?
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Aragon Alumni said:
Aragon Dad's post from Sunday evening (the one to which I was responding in my previous comment), seems to have disappeared. It would be nice if the Examiner left a "comment deleted" stub so that it didn't appear that I was babbling out of context.
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Aragon Alumni said:
Aragon Dad, Nobody that I see is shouting down the young women in Mr. Faustine's class who "were brave enough to come forward" (though I am getting fairly sick of reading that cliche again and again -- it seems to be the only argument you people can make). It's fine that they reported that they were uncomfortable and nobody (including Mr. Faustine) holds that against them. What I think many of us are saying is that the School District could have handled this differently. Has it occurred to you that there exist situations where people might have felt uncomfortable without the law being broken? Is it possible that the things that made them feel uncomfortable could have been addressed, perhaps in a more civil manner, without removing Mr. Faustine from the classroom? That seems like it would be a more useful lesson than "if something makes you feel uncomfortable, the school district will make it go away to avoid potential lawsuits."
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Examiner Reader said:
Most men will never experience the pain and humiliation of sexual harassment and discrimination - thus it's difficult to understand. In our society, filled with innuendo and crude jokes, it's even harder to comprehend when the line is crossed and, more importantly, that it's not the joke teller, but the recipient who gets to decide if the line is crossed. Nonetheless, a teacher, of all people, should know better than to get anywhere near the line of impropriety. Doing otherwise implies that such behavior is acceptable when, in fact, it's simply not. Jeremy L: even if you don't believe in our legal system, you should at least be aware of its laws, to avoid finding yourself in a similar boat one day.
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Jeremy Leibs said:
San Mateo Dad, my prior experience with Faustine gives me all the facts I need to defend him. I'm not saying I agree with what he said. I'm not saying he should have said it. What I am saying is that it should not have resulted in his removal from the classroom. A student feeling harassed, and a teacher actively harassing a student are entirely separate things and should be resolved in separate ways. I am positive that Faustine was not actively harassing this student, regardless of whether they felt harassed. He is not someone that students need "protection" from. This is not a case of the district protecting students from Faustine, this is a case of the district protecting itself from possible litigation. Just because it is possible for a lawyer to convince a judge or a jury of something, does not make it the truth. You may be right that the district would lose a lawsuit, but I already believe our legal system and society to be broken, so that doesn't mean much to me.
5 agree | 2 disagree
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TruthSeeker said:
SM Dad- I didn't realize that you were there in the classroom with a recorder so that you know verbatim what was said, in addition to its context. How can you state so smugly that you know the exact words when the only way you yourself can have anything better than "a pretty good idea" is if you heard the remark yourself. The bottom line is -- it was a remark. A statement of fact. Not a threat. Not an accusation. Not in any way harassing or encouraging "immoral" behavior. It's unfortunate that the "brave" students did not immediately stand up and say -- "I'm offended by what you just said." and given others a chance to agree or disagree and Faustine a chance to apologize. It would have prevented this whole situation from being blown out of proportion. The saddest thing is that the real damage to these students is not the fact that they were subjected to hearing "vulgarity" but the fact that they will now have to live with the fact that the destroyed the career of a great teacher.
6 agree | 1 disagree
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Aragon Alum: 34 years and now we have a complaint? said:
excerpt from a Parents letter: (Name removed) was so upset after the initial meeting that she had trouble sleeping. She said that the woman from the district pressured her to write things down, even though she didn't want to, and she also felt pressured to answer the way this woman wanted her to answer. (Name removed) said that the woman would say things like, 'That must have embarrassed you' or 'Didn't that make you uncomfortable?' (Name removed) said she felt that if she said 'No, it didn't bother me,' then this woman and Mr. Coe might think there was something wrong with her. Interestingly enough, I ran into a mother at the gym the very next day and she asked me if (Name removed) was called into this secret meeting. Before I could even respond, she told me her daughter felt awful because she felt coerced into telling a woman from the district what she wanted to hear, and not how she truly felt. You should know that there are many of your students who feel this way
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Aragon Alum: 34 years and now we have a complaint? said:
The woman Ethel Konopka who is leading the investigation from the school district does not have a good relationship with Mr Faustine. They worked together over district contract negotiations and she represented the district office; and she in Mr Faustines opinion was incompetent in her position. She's even losing her job in a few months which says a lot. She is doing everything in her power to make Mr Faustine out to be some kind of monster and basically has it in for him. Students and parents of students have emailed my dad describing her process of putting words in their mouths.
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San Mateo Dad said:
Having a "pretty good idea" what he said doesn't cut it, folks. Sorry. What the non-offended folks thought is irrelevant. Would a reasonable person in the offended person's shoes be offended? Not whether I am offended, nor you. (Though I do believe you'd be offended if Mr. F told you what he said.) And the real test is whether the Distict felt they'd get sued and lose if he stayed on. You don't agree that Mr. F. should just tell you all what he said? How can you not agree with that?? When I first heard about this, I was a Faustine-defender. Then I came to a more complete understanding. But I endeavored to learn more before I opined. I think you need to do the same. And please don't take this out on the kids who got offended. They are the victims. They are the ones who felt harassed. Making it worse for them does not make it better for Mr. F. ps I agree that one incident might not be enough to terminate someone. So, there may be more to it. Why not ask h
3 agree | 7 disagree
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Unoffended San Mateo Mom said:
I think San Mateo Dad has finally made a point we all can agree upon. The "immorality" of Faustine's words is a matter of interpretation based upon your age and sex. Regardless of how many of us know the "exact words" that were said, by now everyone has a pretty good idea. Were the words appropriate for a high school classroom? Perhaps not. Did some students find them offensive? Obviously. Is an apology in order? Probably. That's what people do when they unintentionally cause another person's discomfort. But does the fact that Mr. Faustine said what he did make him unfit to ever teach again? Not in my opinion. Is it fair to deprive the remaining students, who were not offended by the remark, the chance to continue on as his students? Not in their opinion. Hopefully, justice will be determined at the appeal and everyone can get back to the business of education.
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San Mateo Dad said:
For those who are Faustine supporters, I have a simple request. First, let me say that I respect your support for him. Teachers get far too little support from folks, and that he has enriched your life is a wonderful thing. I did not realize that none of you know what he said. So your support is understandable and laudable. Nonetheless, you should ask Mr. Faustine what he said that made the students uncomfortable. Then put yourself in the shoes of a 16-year old female in his class (not that that is entirely possible). After that, come on back and tell us what you think. (It will be interesting if males and females feel differently. But you need to put yourself in HER shoes, not YOUR shoes.) He CAN tell you. Perhaps he won't. That, in itself, speaks volumes. Listen to his words. Regardless of whether his termination is valid, you will agree that Faustine owes his current students and all of us an apology, at a minimum. I haven't heard one. Interesting.
0 agree | 5 disagree
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San Mateo Dad said:
Jeremy: I am far from overly conservative. Sorry to burst your bubble. The fact that you have no idea what was said makes your position all the more laughable. You can not and should not defend someone unless you know the facts. Since you don't, and you are taking a position, you come off as a complete boob. You can get away with that as a child. But you are almost an adult. You can't do that as an adult. And to those folks who laud Faustine's teaching skills, you need to understand that those skills are not relevant to this issue. Believe me, a judge would not consider it if the harassed student sued the District for failing to protect her from the harassment. And to those folks who say we should focus on students harassing students, I agree. Still, students do not occupy a position of power of other students, which faculty member DOES occupy. Please try to understand the situation from the proper persective.
0 agree | 4 disagree
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Student of Mr. Faustine said:
I organized the rally and would like to make it clear that we know that there is always the possibility that he did, in fact, do something wrong. We're not denying that. The main cause of this event was that during a conversation with our principal during class, he told us that we "have no part" and to back out of it. If the students have no part in the district, doesn't that show how corrupt it is? Mr. Faustine is an amazing man and has spent the last three decades building a reputation that is being supported by the students. We don't know every fact, because no one will tell us, but that doesn't mean we're going to back down. We will continue to defend the man he is and what we believe was the cause of this hectic mess: the comments that were made. It seems like more than a coincidence that he has been suspended further after he and the teachers union pushed Ethel Konopka to resign, and now she's the lead investigator in this case, just 4 months before the end of her term.
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Participatory Aragon Parent said:
"Aragon Parent" accuses Bill Faustine of predatory manipulative behavior. I have spent many hours with Faustine over a number of years watching him teach his classes and work with students outside of the classroom environment. I have almost 60 years experience watching human interactions and over those years I have seen real predatory manipulative behavior. I can say with certainty of someone with firsthand experience of observing Mr. Faustine teach that this is not what he does. Mr. Faustine is an effective, amazing, gifted, and dedicated teacher. It is clear to me that "Aragon Parent" has heard phrases quoted out of the larger context and has never actually evidenced Mr. Faustine at work.
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Examiner Reader said:
I've only met Bill Faustine once; he struck me as warm, honest and direct. I'm not privy to the district's investigation notes so I have no idea what evidence they have that seemed so compelling that it resulted in a 5-0 vote. I hope this isn't a couple of students with subpar grades and/or a sense of entitlement combined with a litigation fearful school district that was led by a grudge-carrying/soon-to-be-let-go district official because that would be pretty "immoral". I subscribe to Occam's Razor as much as the next person, but in this case I'm inclined to believe Mr. Faustine is harmless and a good teacher (clearly memorable). I guess it's guilty until proven innocent these days.
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Yet Another Aragon Alumni said:
Even if his speech has been inappropriate, it's only words! There is a limit to how much harm those words could have done to anybody. Maybe it is grounds for him being reprimanded. Maybe it's even grounds for discussing whether or not he should be allowed to teach NEXT year. But pulling him out of the classroom at this point in time is ridiculous. It's simply unfair to all of his students, almost all of whom think he is a great teacher and aren't bothered by his language in the least. Can you justify depriving these students of their right to an education because a few overprotective parents are afraid of a few words? Nobody was in any form of danger here. There is nothing that a warning, an apology and some careful observation couldn't have fixed. There is no needs or justification for the completely overblown reaction to this situation. I am disgusted by the actions of our school system, that they would place political correctness ahead of the education of our students
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Aragon Parent said:
It's not that he talked abotu sex. It was HOW he talked. Not only has this teacher's speech been inappropriate, he's communicating that it's OK to be rude, crude and disrespectful. AND that it's not OK to call for it to stop. In fact, it's ALWAYS right to challenge inappropriate speech or behavior, no matter how popular the perpetrator. We should not brush it off as harmless. This is the civics lesson to be learned from this. Doubly troubling is that every teacher is OBLIGATED to model to young people *professional* conduct respectful to all. Using derogatory, sit-com humor at the expense of others is simply wrong. I'm impressed that the accusers were not the target of his jokes. In fact, they witnessed others being targeted and felt compelled to make it stop. This teacher appeared to recognize that students he targeted would not have the courage to speak out against him. This suggests predatory, manipulative behavior, and the District has thankfully made it stop.
1 agree | 12 disagree
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Jeremy Leibs said:
San Mateo Dad, no, I don't know what was said. I wish I did, because then it would be a lot easier to defend it. Just because something is "of a SEXUAL nature," and made an example of a female "IN THE CLASSROOM," does not mean it is inherently inappropriate. Your argument as it stands makes you sound like an overly conservative alarmist. The psychology section being discussed in class was "sexual motivation." So, if we assume he was teaching his students (maybe you would prefer teachers to just baby sit and coddle them), all his comments made to the class that day would have been of a "SEXUAL nature." With regards to making an example of a student in the classroom, all of my best teachers have done this. It is a common teaching technique used to give an example without having to refer to an abstract non-existent 3rd party. If you want to convince me that what he did was actually inappropriate you're going to have to try a little harder than alarmist capitalization.
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Another Aragon Alumni said:
And on an entirely separate note, if you honestly believe that the any teacher could make a student feel as uncomfortable as they do just walking around between classes, then you have a lot of catching up to do. Since you are concerned with comfort, then you are picking the wrong battle, maybe you should investigate the vulgar, cruel, intolerant nature of the student body towards itself instead of lashing out at someone who is taking the time to try to educate your children. If this attack continues on its current path, then as a current scholar I fear for the future of our educational system, students might as well just stay at home and read Wikipedia.
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Another Aragon Alumni said:
Faustine was indeed popular. But his fame does not stem from him acting as a friend to the students, but instead from his ability to teach. I was a student in the San Mateo public school system for 17 years of my life and am now continuing my education in graduate level theoretical physics and mathematics. I have more experience in the modern classroom than any parent today. I worked with Faustine for 5 years both in a professional and casual environment and have never once seen him act “outrageous”. Without a doubt, one of the only teachers I had during those 17 years who I actually learned from was Bill Faustine. So skeptical parents, I ask you this, would you rather your children sit in a classroom listening to an emotionless drone regurgitate facts onto the board, or would you rather them interact with a lively, nurturing teacher who actually cares about their future?
5 agree | 2 disagree
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San Mateo Dad said:
For those folks defending Mr. Faustine, I can only guess that they have no idea what he actually said. (I am betting Jeremy L doesn't even know what was said.) What Mr. Faustine said is not appropriate in any high school OR college classroom. It was of a SEXUAL nature, and it made an example of a female IN THE CLASSROOM. I assure you that if he made that kind of remark in my workplace, I would advise him that it was inappropriate, and I would advise the HR department. It is very likely that he would then be terminated, for CAUSE, and I'd have no fear that he might win a lawsuit against the company. None. People who think Faustine's comments were "just fine" and who ask other folks to "grow up" are revealing their own immaturity. Being an adult takes responsibility. It is no longer acceptable to make remarks like he did. That may have flown in the old days, but it's been off limits for a long long time. Sorry, Jeremy, you are wrong, regardless of your robotics experienc
3 agree | 12 disagree
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Parent of Two Aragon Students said:
Some people want to portray the accusers as isolated and immature, but the truth is they have the maturity to see appropriate boundaries with respect to actions and speech of a sexual nature. Apparently the district has enough evidence to establish a pattern of impropriety over a period of time. It was not the result of a single comment. Yes, Mr. Faustine was popular, but perhaps not always professional.
3 agree | 8 disagree
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Jeremy Leibs said:
Another Aragon Parent, perhaps it was a different article, or another email reporting the ruling, but someone used the phrase "immoral and unfit to teach" -- that is what I was referring to. In any case, the school district is saying that something he did is so wrong that he should not be allowed to teach students. I would like to clarify that I'm not saying that people need to be made uncomfortable to be prepared for life. What I am saying is that if you really want to prepare people for life outside the classroom, you may end up talking about subjects that make some people feel uncomfortable. You said that "the district needs to consider whether the actions would make a reasonable person feel uncomfortable." You can't deny the fact that one or two people will sometimes feel uncomfortable for UNREASONABLE reasons. A teacher should not be responsible for catering to the needs of these people and ignoring reality.
10 agree | 4 disagree
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Another Aragon Parent said:
There is nothing in this action that says that Mr. Faustine is "immoral" or a bad person. It is not about whether he is liked as a teacher. The District needed to consider whether his actions would make a reasonable person feel uncomfortable and affect the academic environment. He is not "preparing them for life" because almost every work environment has strict sexual harassment policies that prohibit language and actions that make anyone feel uncomfortable. It does not matter if it is "just a few" that reported the behavior. It only needs to be one. I trust that the District, in reviewing all the information that is necessarily not available to parents and students because of privacy concerns, acted to consider the best for our students.
2 agree | 6 disagree
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Jeremy Leibs said:
Aragon Dad and Aragon Parent, you've chosen to remain anonymous so I really can't say to what degree you know Mr. Faustine or not. I've taken classes with him, and I founded the robotics team that he has served as a Faculty sponsor for. I know him very well. He is among the best teachers I have ever interacted with. I don't doube that Bill Faustine may have made some students "feel uncomfortable." He can be a very polarizing individual. Those few people that don't love him, do feel strongly about how he most likely made them look stupid or feel uncomfortable in the past. This doesn't mean he's an immoral person. It means he's not just teaching students facts, but he's preparing them for life. This is not something he should be criticized for, but something he should be praised for. Just because something makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean it's wrong or inappropriate. Some people need to grow up.
7 agree | 5 disagree
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Aragon Alumni said:
One thing is for sure about these last two comments, neither of you know or have even taken a class with the softhearted, intellectually forthcoming Bill Faustine. He cares about his students and would do nothing to harm them! I feel sorry for the people involved and know the truth will come out. GET MR.FAUSTINE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM WHERE HE BELONGS!
11 agree | 4 disagree
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Aragon Dad said:
As a parent of a child near the heart of this matter, I'd like to make the point that so far the reporting on this issue has been genuinely one-sided. The district and the people directly involved with these allegations have remained silent out of respect for the process, but it is troubling to see allegations of the type represented in this article go unchallenged. What is at issue here is a teacher who is accused of sexually harassing many of his students. So far, the realities of how brave these students had to be to come forward has not been mentioned. As far as I can tell, the assumption going in is that these are fatuous claims. They are not. Furthermore, some of the students involved in this issue have experienced _retaliation_ at school for coming forward. The one-sided view represented in this article does not help this situation. Let us not reinforce a situation where students are punished for being brave enough to speak up when they are being sexually harassed, what say
4 agree | 12 disagree
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Aragon Parent said:
The charges were not made lightly. It's clear from some of the witnesses that the teacher showed a pattern of inappropriate speech, disrespect for some students and at worst sexual impropriety, all occurring over several months, if not years. He may have been popular among a handful of vocal students, but many know exactly the kind of behaviors and speech that got him into trouble. Any adult who heard his exact examples would be recognize the offensiveness and the lack of appropriate sexual boundaries. This man has not evolved with the times and in several cases he made intelligent, aware witnesses extremely uncomfortable. It's a difficult situation in that for those who filed complaints to speak publicly, confidentiality must be breeched. Mr. Faustine is being investigated because a few brave students finally spoke up. They were sick of it and just wanted it to stop. Let's not blame the accusers. The one at fault here is the teacher.
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