Report: Improper Behavior By Some Manteca Unified Trustees Created 'Atmosphere Of Fear'
MANTECA (CBS13) – The San Joaquin County civil grand jury was asked to investigate the Manteca board of trustees after fielding multiple complaints of improper behavior.
One controversy began at August Knodt Elementary. School board trustee Sam Fant wanted an adult Zumba class to take place inside and, according to the grand jury findings, he didn't follow appropriate district procedures to get it. This was one of nine actions the civil grand jury found that some trustees did wrong.
This morning, while Manteca school trustee Ashley Drain was arraigned for election fraud, more bad news came for the Manteca Unified School Board.
The San Joaquin County's civil grand jury reports trustees' bad behavior created an "atmosphere of fear" among school employees.
READ: Manteca Unified Board of Trustees Grand Jury Report
The report says Fant went around the superintendent to create an adult exercise class at august Knodt Elementary school. And says student safety was not considered.
"These people were not supposed to have contact with students, because they weren't fingerprinted. But we saw them on campus and having contact with students," said grand jury foreman Ward Downs.
In a statement, Fant says: "It has always been my intent to advocate for a community that the grand jury itself says in an earlier report had been neglected."
A previous grand jury report criticized the Stockton for overlooking area of south Stockton.
The report indicates trustees Drain and Fant also worked to get rid of Weston Ranch High School's principal, despite no previous complaints against him.
"He was known to have pulled teachers out of class to talk to them, and some people reported…that it was to talk to him about the principal," said Downs.
The report says trustee Drain interfered with schools' discipline of students and ranted about the district on her Facebook page.
Drain declined to speak on camera, but said in a phone interview: "I do a lot of community work that seems to ruffle a lot of feathers."
The report details a total of nine incidents where the trustees acted inappropriately.
Fant insists he did nothing wrong, saying: "I have the utmost confidence in the Manteca unified administration that policies and procedures were followed and no rules were circumvented to please me or my community."
The civil grand jury recommends that the school board provide training for newly elected school board members on legislation and board actions. It also instructs the board to update its bylaws.