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Parents accuse SLO High officials of enabling sexual misconduct, video

August 16, 2023

A parent chastises officials at San Luis Coastal Unified School District meeting on Aug. 16.

By KAREN VELIE

The mother and the sister of an underage student at the center of a San Luis Obispo High School sexual misconduct investigation accused school officials of protecting the alleged perpetrator during a district board meeting on Tuesday.

After witnesses told school administrators head basketball coach and history teacher Jeff Brandow was sexting a 17-year-old student, officials grilled the student for over an hour without informing her parents, the mother said. Officials then waited five months, until after the end of basketball season, to place Brandow on leave.

“You continue to send a message that if you see something, say something,” the teen’s mother said. “Someone saw something. Several people said something. Yet the district did nothing for five months.”

“You have taught our children that protecting adults is more important than protecting them,” the teen’s mother said before sitting down amid the cheers of dozens of parents.

The teen’s sister then spoke of a panic attack her sister suffered following her interrogation. Another speaker said she reported issues with Brandow in 2019, before electing not to send her youngest child to SLO High School.

Responding to the allegations, San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent Eric Prater said the district took a significant step toward accountability before the open meeting on Tuesday. He then said he could not comment on the details because of employee privacy issues and the ongoing investigation.

In Oct. 2022, a group of students attended a party where the teen shared inappropriate texts Brandow had sent her, according to several sources. Shortly afterward, SLO High School administrators learned of the texts and of comments Brandow made to the student in the classroom regarding “tits and ass.”

Jeff Brandow

School officials interviewed the underage student about the alleged sexual misconduct in Oct. 2022, but did not inform her parents or place Brandow on leave.

This delay permitted Brandow to remain coach of the varsity basketball team, which he guided to the league championship. The league then named him Coach of the Year.

Brandow is currently on unpaid administrative leave.

For more than a decade, Brandow allegedly harassed multiple females including underage students, coaches, his students’ mothers, a sports reporter and community members, multiple sources said. While a handful of the alleged victims reported the misconduct, they claim the district repeatedly protected Brandow.

If you have further information about Jeff Brandow or these incidents please contact reporter Karen Velie at (805) 234-1703.

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At the next couple of election cycles, responsible adults need to run and take over the school board, then clean house in the Superintendent’s office and in campus administration. We clearly have a bunch of good old boys (and girls) running the district right now, and they are sacrificing the kids for their buddies.


15

“The league then named him Coach of the Year” if that is just not the cherry on top. So insulting in so many ways! I agree, fire them all! I hope the parents at SLO high get loud!!


29

I will add, normally I would not suggest one sue, but in this case I hope that mom sues the school district and wins big!!


22

The firing of o’connor needs to be next. around 2014 i believe coach manny carter was fired he coached varsity female volleyball at slohs. manny was caught at a house party with some of the female students he coached the news made it slohs administration and he was silently let go. manny wasn’t a teacher only a coach. o’connor didn’t involve police or let the parents of this situation it was always damage control and cover up.


25

The district’s sexual harassment board policy (BP 4119.11) prescribes steps to correcting sexual harassment committed by employees. In both steps 3&4 stress the timeliness of the resolution. 3. Ensuring prompt, thorough, and fair investigation of complaints 4. Taking timely and appropriate corrective/remedial action(s), which may require interim separation of the complainant and the alleged harasser and subsequent monitoring of developments.

The policy designates the Title IX designee as responsible for investigating, Dan Block, HR director. No mention of Dan in any of this. Why do any of these people still have jobs when they do not follow their own policies? This is how the highest paid educators in our county do their jobs. Yuck.


42

The Rats run this Cheese Factory!


Listen again to Pinkerton’s speech last night, “right?”. If he followed the policy he described, the principle, HR and Prater were all notified immediately in October. They did nothing.


How can Prater and Pinkerton be involved any any of these discussions? They are the fingers “on one hand” of Principle O’Conner, that knew of the 2014 Sexual Harassment claims! They did nothing! And nothing again in 2018! Pinkerton was HR Director from 2013 til 2021!


The School Board needs to be held accountable. Time for the community to step up and ask them to do the right thing. All of those involved need to be fired. Prater, Pinkerton, O’Conner, Dickinson and all the other fingers and toes who knew and did nothing.


36

Good points. If I were a victim or parent of a victim I would file a complaint with the California Department of Education. Students that are in fear of being a victim of sexual harassment or assault do not have equal access to public education. Cronyism is tough to beat when the cronies have the ear of the school board. The state should be involved for transparency at a minimum.


20

There is a narrow window of time to file a complaint once the process is started. It’s something like 30 days after they release their Findings. If you miss the deadline you lose your right to appeal. The best thing to do at this point is to file a lawsuit against the District.


12

Dan Block also swept things under the rug when he was principal at Bishops Peak Elementary and was rewarded with a promotion to the District I still have the email that was sent to Mr. Block in 2012, when a parent chaperone abused an 11-year-old student during an overnight trip to Yosemite which left an abrasion on the child’s face. The chaperone was upset with the child for taking his picture while he was sleeping on the bus. He bullied the child throughout the trip and eventually assaulted them, causing an abrasion on their chin.


The parent sent an email to Dan Block, outlining the details of the bullying and abuse, and copied the child’s teacher, but did not receive a response so the parent went to Dan’s office to speak with him personally. He told the parent that the abuser “is a good guy” and “a tennis pro and gives our students free tennis lessons” so the school would not be getting involved.


The child grew up and as an adult, still has a scar on their chin from the assault by the adult chaperone “tennis pro” at Yosemite. There were zero consequences.


14

Geez, that is terrible. All this is because of inadequate leadership from the superintendent. It takes more than a popped collar and a haircut to do the job correctly. SLCUSD needs a new Superintendent, the rest will fall in line or leave.


6

Not to worry, if things get too hot all involved will be allowed to retire, pensions intact, or transfered to another district to continue their failures and crimes, happened with Fresno’s reject now at Cal Poly. These outrageous compensations did not get us the best and the brightest, as we are always told we must pay to get. Again nobody will really be held responsible or have real consequences. Likely the voters also wont remember the next time school districts crys for more money and tell us how underpaid teachers are.


24

Fire Brandow. Fire Prater. Fire O’Connor.


All their hands are stained. The coverup is just as bad as the crime.


72

I like how Prater then read off a pre-written statement that he had in front of him. It was as if he didn’t even bother to listen before choosing words for his response.


21

If all of this turns out to be true everyone on school board needs to be fired and charges brought against them and the coach. Also all need to be sued for all they have !!


55