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Its time to hold SLO High School officials accountable

December 2, 2023

Jeff Brandow

OPINION by KALEENA RUSKIN

I was the San Luis Obispo High School girls head soccer coach from 2012 through 2016, and worked for Jeff Brandow. I had been working as the assistant soccer coach from 2009/10’ season and was hired as the head coach starting in 2012, right at the same time that Jeff was hired.

Jeff and I had, what I thought, was a professional-platonic relationship. We would grab drinks at The Wine Shed (turned Broad Street Pub) because my roommates both worked there and it was down the street from his house. At some point, things took a turn. Because these events all happened so long ago, they may not all be in chronological order. But, I’ll bullet point out all of the many instances Jeff acted inappropriately or unprofessionally.

One night at The Wine Shed, he asked me if I would ever go out on a date with him. When I laughed and said “absolutely not,” he was flabbergasted and offended. He proceeded to ask me why over and over again even after I listed out the many reasons I wouldn’t:

  • He was a boss
  • He was married
  • I wasn’t attracted to him, etc.

I brushed this off as just a desperate man seeking attention, but after this I started to separate myself from interacting with him outside of work. It wasn’t a serious attempt at asking me out on a date.

Shortly after this, Principal Leslie O’Connor called me into his office to ask if he had been harassing me or if I had knowledge of him acting inappropriately towards any other female staffers. I told him no, and that was the truth. I felt Jeff had a flirty personality, but he did his job well and I didn’t feel harassed or uncomfortable.

After my meeting I received a phone call from the female athletic trainer at the time saying that she was being harassed. This is the same athletic trainer who quit after she reported him to both her boss and O’Connor and nothing was really done about it.

At some point, Brandow started to text me in the middle of the night, asking me to meet him at the park so we could talk/hang out. I always refused. At this time, I stopped trying to be friends with him.

The final straw happened many months later, and by this time I was not friendly with Jeff, I had made it clear to him that we were co-workers and nothing more.

I  went to The Wine Shed to meet my roommate, my cousin, and some friends, and Jeff was there with his wife and another couple. Jeff was drunk. He saw me walk in and came over to my table to try and give me a hug. He tried to wrap his arms around my whole body and I had to stiff arm him for a “side hug” instead.

After five minutes of uncomfortable small talk he left. Shortly later, I started receiving texts from him saying, “You look beautiful, Kaleena,” and “I think I love you,” and “Please talk to me.”

I didn’t respond and just continued on with my night. The next morning, I called him and told him that if he ever did that again, I would go to his wife. I wanted nothing to do with him, and if he did anything remotely out of line, I would go to the school and his wife with all of the texts he ever sent me.

Jeff never bothered me again.

I deeply regret not going back to Leslie O’Connor, but I wasn’t comfortable with him. I had known him through Cal Poly Soccer, and from my first day Leslie was nothing but disrespectful and misogynistic towards me. I didn’t go to Leslie because I didn’t feel that anything could happen. I didn’t trust Leslie, and I didn’t want to risk getting fired. I loved my job.

If needed, I can expand further on the unprofessional actions of Principal O’Connor and how he hid and enabled other predators within SLO High: Charlie Deeds.

It got to the point where I explicitly instructed my team and any girl within the soccer program that they were never to be in a room alone with Director Brandow. It’s disgusting to have to tell teenage girls that they can’t be alone with an administrator because you fear for their wellbeing.

I was young, and I wish deeply I had had the bandwidth to recognize and report what he was: a predator. He was an unapologetic predator, and only got bolder when no one stood up for the women he harassed along the way. It’s frustrating that I even have to write this now, to provide further proof of how he has been harassing women for as long as he has been at SLO High.

Jeff Brandow, and those who knew about his actions and continued to protect him, deserve to be held accountable.

 


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I wonder if these stories gives a certain Atascadero High AD any heartburn?


5

Unfortunately, misconduct by teachers like Jeffry Bradow and his ilk are protected by the teachers unions.


-13

Bot comment. He was fired and protected by ADMIN not the union.


11

The Admin IS the union.


-11

A written formal complaint submitted to the school board would have automatically triggered a public review process for both administrator and the pervert teacher. The public nature of the complaint would have resulted, not in his dismissal, but his voluntary resignation. It would have resolved her problem, but left him free to find a job elsewhere. That is the problem.


That is why they move from school to school. Or PD to PD. The process stops when they resign.

The fix is to require all public complaints of wrongdoing to be fully adjudicated no matter if the public employee in question continues to work there or not. This is how to make it end. This is how you wring out bad apples. Take away their mobility.


25

Except for my letter in August, which never was read during their meeting nor filed in the minutes. That is illegal. The school board is part of the problem. They have no idea what is happening at the schools in which they are trusted.

So many teachers, including men, were harassed by O’Connor. Meetings with Kim McGrath, then superintendent of personnel, did nothing.


17

And a school board member is a friend/tennis partner of Brandow’s mother-in-law.


0

One would think this is true, however, a Formal Complaint was made to. the district in October 2022 by the student and her parents. Jeff Brandow was not dismissed. Instead, the district allowed him to continue teaching and coaching.

Now they are hiding behind the statement, “The family did not give formal evidence to SLCUSD.”

Dr. Prater is a liar. Leslie O’Connor, Desiree Dellinger, and Rollin Dickinson are cowards. Kim McGrath, I heard she knew as well.

Not once has the girl been called a victim by the district. Not once have they publicly taken any accountability.

For all those outraged. there is a Board Meeting this Tuesday at 6 p.m. Room J-2 at the district office on Lizzie Street.


18

The system so worried about protecting its image and the expense of numerous kids futures and lives. The entire administration at the school should be fired and give up their pensions to the victims.


33

I have said since this sorry broke that it is much bigger than Jeff Brandow.


The San Luis Coastal School District, under so-called leaders like Supt. Eric Prater, Ex SLO HS Principal/DO Administrator Leslie O’Connor, and District Trustee Marilyn Rodger certainly knew of the sexual abuse that the young female high school student was suffering at the hands of teacher/coach Jeffrey Brandow AND THEY CHOSE TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.


These highly paid ‘professionals’ are supposed to be acting as caretakers for our youth, not allowing predators to abuse them, and they are mandatory reporters under the law. In other words, instead of Prater, Rodger and O’Connor covering up for their friend Jeffrey Brandow, they had a duty to contact child protective services.


As is recounted often in the press these days, people like Supt. Prater and Principal/bureaucrat Leslie O’Connor have failed to show leadership, and they have failed to carry out their sacred duty as educators. The fact that people like SLO Coastal trustee Marilyn Rodger is allowing Prater and O’Connor escape accountability shows the utter decline of the once-proud SLO Coastal School District.


In recent years, this school district asked for, and was granted an additional $500 million dollars of property bond funding from homeowners, and it appears voters made a mistake in granting this group of incompetent predators any additional funds.


DA Dan Dow and the SLO County district attorney’s office needs to investigate ALL of the adults in this case, and the student, any harassed staff, and KSBY sports editor Jessica Vo ALL need to seek private legal representation to sue Prater, Rodger, O’Connor, and the SLO Coastal School District.


How would you feel if your underage daughter was being sexually harassed/abused, and the adults that were sworn to protect her instead protected and covered for her abuser?


47

THIS.


-1

This is a tale as old as time and never okay. It is so hard to speak up against wrong, if you are a female or male, and take a stance when your job could be in jeopardy. This behavior thrives due to intimidation and the power of those “in leadership” positions (the good old boys network). I applaud anyone who is able to speak out and speak up for themselves or other victims. This situation has opened some old wounds for me that date back to the 1970’s.


34

Thank you for bravely coming forward. I realize the focus has been on Jeff Brandow but want to address Leslie O’Connor and his behavior over the years. I am familiar with Leslie O’Connor’s manipulative and intimidating behavior and understand how you felt you may lose your job if you stirred things up by revisiting the conversation with him. It’s well-known that he ridiculed parents and students who were critical of Jeff Brandow and used his power to intimidate students from coming forward. There were MULTIPLE complaints made about O’Connor and meetings were held with Kim McGrath and others within the school district about his disgusting behavior. Eric Prater, the superintendent, knew about the complaints but had a personal friendship with O’Connor, and instead of being fired as principal of SLOHS, he was promoted to a leadership role at the school district office, which he enjoys today. Jeff Brandow is facing consequences for his behavior (finally!) and I hope others will continue to speak out about their experiences with leadership in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District because Leslie O’Connor and others who have abused their power should be held accountable.


64

Leslie O’Connor is a bully. Doesn’t know anything about teaching, doesn’t have any respect for teachers. He is actively ruining all 4 secondary schools in the district. He and his bff Prater must go. Prater has been phoning in his job for years, farming it out to incompetent idiots.


42

I still remember when the School Board gave Superintendent Eric Prater a $950,000 loan (December 2016) at 2 % interest so he could buy a nice house in Avila Beach. He complained he couldn’t find suitable housing in SLO when he lost his rental in the Arbors because his landlord decided to sell. The School Board didn’t want to lose him so gave him the money to guarantee he would stay until 2021. Phoning from home at the beach sounds pretty cushy.


20

Thank you! In 2016 when Prater was given the 2% interest loan, no money down, to buy a house somewhere (not even necessarily within the SLCUSD boundaries), I was outraged. This is a gift of public funds to a guy making $5000 a WEEK who claimed he couldn’t afford to buy a house. The school district is not a bank for its bureaucrats. haven’t voted for a school bond ever since and probably never will.


22

Courageous. As I have said in the past, suspend all athletics at SLO High until it is purged of every predator and those who permitted it.. only then will justice be swift and harsh.


23

And penalize the student-athletes? Not fair.


8

I agree SLOHS needs to clean house but don’t punish the student athletes by suspending all athletics due to the bad and inappropriate behavior of those adult/administrator/coach perpetrators.


9

suspension Creates complete outrage among students, parents and the community, then bye bye prater, O’Connor, brandow.. seems to me all but brandow still have their jobs


7

Unfortunately, this is a story told over and over by women across this nation. Fortunately, today we believe them when they speak of despicable behavior by a man in power.


-9

Unfortunately you are wrong, it depends on who the man is, some still get a pass, in part due to the power they have.


27

Still about 90% better than it once was.


-11

Just because some men have been getting a pass for decades doesnt make it right.


10

Nope, not true in the least. Women are still not believed. Not any better.


9
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