Edhat Staff
Ed Behrens speaking on his own behalf during the March 13, 2018 meeting (Photo: John Palminteri of )
By edhat staff
Former San Marcos High School Principal Ed Behrens filed an appeal on Friday after a Santa Barbara County Superior Court dismissed his lawsuit against the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD).
The lawsuit, which was filed on May 21, 2018, argued that Behrens should be reinstated as Principal after being wrongfully removed from his position.
Local law firm Capello & Noël represented Behrens alleging a violation of constitutional rights and unlawful retaliation in violations of California’s labor codes.
Last March, Behrens was demoted after a student posted a threatening message on social media targeting other students. Parents complained they were not promptly informed and their children were put at risk stating administrators mishandled the incident. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department did not find an immediate threat relating to the video.
During a follow-up community three-hour meeting, many of the public comments were positive and praising of Behrens. he majority vote of the school board ruled to continue with demoting Behrens, largely being referred to as a “personnel matter.”
Behrens, with a 27-year teaching career including principal at San Marcos High School from 2011 until 2018, alleges that SBUSD Superintendent Cary Matsuoka used Behrens as a scapegoat for the district’s mishandling of the incident and then spread false and misleading information about Behrens to the board and to the public.
“In deposition, Matsuoka admitted that strategic public statements he made about Ed were false,” says Leila Noël, partner in the law firm Cappello & Noël. “He also carefully controlled the information to the board and Ed about Ed’s performance to lead the board to the predetermined result he wanted: Ed’s removal from SMHS. We are pursuing this case to ensure justice is done.”
Behrens was reassigned as a junior high school teacher which resulted in a salary cut of over $50,000 per year.
The lawsuit contends that by demoting Behrens, the district violated his rights under the Education Code and District regulations. In addition to being reinstated to his principal position, Behrens is seeking back pay as a result of the demotion and punitive damages.
Matsuoka recently announced that he would not seek to extend his contract with the district, which is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2021.
SBUSD has previously stated they cannot discuss litigation.
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- March 14, 2018:
- May 23, 2018: Former San Marcos Principal Sues School District
Move on Mr Behrens! We don’t want you back, you weren’t doing amazing things at the school anyways. There is tons of crime, fights and drug-dealing on school. My gifted student got hooked on opioids at school because kids sell those drugs at school! You didn’t do anything special, I don’t know why you keep appealing it, just move on Let It Go!
It was because your child found the drugs available at school that they took them? Whatever. I took acid at lunch time a couple of times, a few decades back, smoked tobacco and pot at The Tree across Turnpike. I did not buy or share drugs at San Marcos. I grew out of that crap young. Hope they all do.
He may have been a great teacher, but a poor administrator. So it is possible to hold those two concepts at the same time without an explosion going off in your head. He may also be a decent administrator but not so good at managing the politics in the District. Suing them is not going to endear him to them, but maybe he will get a good settlement out of it.
There are kids selling adderal at school, targeting athletes and other kids with the lure of them helping you study. It is way too readily available on campus, insanity!