The Arizona State Board of Education is essentially dismissing charges against one Chandler Unified School District official but sending the case against four others back to a lower agency in the case of a teacher’s uncomfortable touching at Casteel High School.
The board made its decision at the end of its March 24 meeting, rejecting on a 5-3 vote the recommendation to discipline Casteel Assistant Principal Shelamae Woodworth for her role in the case.
That vote total left some confusion.
At first, Sean Rose, the executive director of the State Board of Education, announced the motion had failed because they needed six votes to pass the 11-body committee.
That left many in the audience wearing red t-shirts in support of Woodworth confused.
After consulting with a lawyer, it was determined because one member had recused herself from that vote, five was enough to reject the recommendation from the Professional Practices Advisory Commission (PPAC) to suspend Woodworth’s certificate for a year and that she undergo training on sexual grooming.
There was no such relief for the four other current or former CUSD employees in the case.
The Board voted to send those recommendations back to PPAC with instructions that each person have a separate hearing. PPAC originally conducted one hearing for all five officials.
Board members disagreed with one hearing for all five respondents. The state in that case argued that it combined cases to respect the time of witnesses, so they wouldn’t have to testify multiple times on the same material.
Rose said because of state laws requiring notifications, it will take months before those hearings take place.
“Respectfully, the effects of this decision have already caused highly skilled and qualified individuals to leave education,” CUSD Superintendent Frank Narducci said during his remarks supporting the four current district employees.
“In speaking with my counterparts in other districts, they too are seeing the ripple effects of this recommendation. If this is the new standard, then we will continue to see highly-qualified and dedicated professionals continue to leave Arizona, or leave the education profession entirely.”
The concern at Casteel began in February 2021 when five middle school girls notified an assistant principal, Ryan Ridenour, that their technical theater teacher was touching them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.
Ridenour is no longer a CUSD employee.
Ridenour notified his principal, Jayson Phillips. They asked Woodworth to speak to a couple of the girls because they said they thought the girls would be more comfortable speaking to a woman about these issues.
The teacher was Patrick Power. The girls did not claim that he touched them on the genitals, breasts or buttocks. They said he touched them on the arm, shoulder, leg and would hug them. One student said he picked her up by the waist to lift her onto a table.
Phillips notified the district’s director of human resources, Dr. Jeff Filloon. He drove out to Casteel for a meeting that included the school resource officer.
During that meeting, the SRO told them there was nothing to pursue as far as any criminal action. No report was made to the agency, and district officials said they believed their mandatory reporting duties had been fulfilled by consulting with the SRO.
The group decided to give Power a letter of direction, telling him not to touch students and to remain behind his desk when giving his lessons. There was no monitoring, mentoring, or follow up.
About a month later, two older students who were juniors in high schools, came forward with new complaints about Power.
One said he had been visiting her place of employment (a Taco Bell) on a regular basis and had made comments about the days she was not working.
They both said Power had invited them to attend a gun show with him on a weekend.
After the new complaints came in, Filloon directed Phillips to tell Power not to report to campus and instead come to his office the following day.
When they met, Filloon notified Power of the new accusations and told him he was going to be suspended while the district did a full investigation. Power retired immediately, so there was no investigation.
In all, 13 girls made accusations against Power.
The parents of one of the first girls who came forward said their daughter began a downward spiral. She faced bullying in her classroom when Power retired and left the class without a teacher. Many blamed her and the other girls who came forward.
The parents said they became concerned for her mental health, asking the district for help. By the time the district offered to set up a meeting for her, the parents had already hired outside help.
PPAC recommended that Filloon have his certificate suspended for three years and undergo training on mandatory reporting and sexual grooming.
They also recommended that Phillips and Ridenour have their certificates suspended for three years and undergo sexual grooming training.
The fifth official is Dr. Craig Gilbert, the associate superintendent for the district. His only role in the case was to rule on a Title IX appeal. Those appeals are usually handled by Filloon, but since he was involved in the original case he recused himself.
Gilbert looked into the case, including interviewing the school resource officer, and ultimately denied the parent’s appeal of their Title IX complaint, saying that since Power was no longer an employee, the district could not compel him to participate in any investigation and had no means to discipline him.
PPAC recommended he be given a letter of censure and undergo sexual grooming training.
“Frankly, when I heard the recommendations from the PPAC, I was stunned and perplexed,” said Camille Casteel, the former CUSD superintendent for 25 years and the person whom the school is named after.
“These employees have never evoked an ounce of concern regarding their performance, their actions, their professionalism. In fact, quite the opposite. Kindness, dedication, and commitment to student success and safety is part of their DNA.”
The parents of the first student to report the touching ultimately filed a police complaint with the Sheriff’s Office. An investigation was done, but no charges were filed against Power.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office also declined to prosecute the case.
Narducci said the PPAC recommendations are unfair.
“A disagreement about the extent of action does not warrant the significant discipline being proposed by PPAC,” Narducci said. “The proposed discipline by the PPAC is equivalent to an educator who engages in inappropriate sexually-motivated communications with a student.
“And for that, the PPAC is recommending a significant punishment that will severe careers and a profession that they have devoted their lives to. That is neither just, nor is it fair.”
Katey McPhearson, who counsels teens, said that too much of the focus was on the five educators.
“I heard a lot today about wonderful people, and I agree with that,” McPhearson said. “These are my colleagues, I care about my profession. “But four years that we’ve heard about, I met with four of the five people that are being disciplined and begged them to help in the beginning, during and the after. And a lot of my work happens in the after.
“No one has mentioned the children today. Silence keeps no one safe. … Nothing was done for them.”
