Speculation and rumors. That’s how a San Diego Unified School District spokesperson described claims laid out in a letter alleging a slew of sexual misconduct allegations about now-disgraced former Superintendent Lamont Jackson. But while the district knew about the letter in 2023, its board didn't know about it until this week.
That letter, written by a group of anonymous school principals, was sent to Donis Coronel, the executive director of the Administrators Association San Diego City Schools in July 2023, who immediately forwarded it to a high-level school district official.
Previous coverage:
“I opened it, and when I read it, I was concerned,” Coronel said. “I don’t know what happened to it once I forwarded it to the district. I’m just not aware of what happened. I wasn’t copied on anything. I’m making a presumption that they did the work they needed to do, but I don’t know. I don't know.”
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The letter asked for an investigation into at least three promotions granted to women suspected of having sex with Jackson. It said there was a widespread perception within the district that he surrounded himself with women who slept with him on a quid pro quo basis. The letter also raised concerns about promoting a female employee despite her professional misconduct and about three abrupt departures rumored to be an effort to cover up Jackson’s misconduct.
The group of principals behind the letter said they chose to remain anonymous due to a “culture of fear” within the district and concerns of retaliation.
In a statement, the district said, “Upon review by the District at the time, it was determined that the allegations were expressly based on rumors and speculation from third-party anonymous sources and so, were not investigated further at the time.”
Not only that, but the district says its board was never informed about the claims, writing, “An assumption was made that the letter had been shared with the Board.”
It says the board learned about this letter for the first time this week.
The claims against Lamont Jackson
While the district says the allegations in the letter were unsubstantiated in 2023, the district now finds its claims credible. It attributes that to the findings of an investigation the district paid a private law firm to conduct this past April. It’s an investigation that led to Jackson’s firing earlier this month.
The investigation upheld allegations of misconduct against Jackson based on the first-person claims of two former school district employees. NBC 7 Investigates revealed the details of those claims for the first time on Monday.
In those documents, former district administrator Tavga Bustani says she was home on sick leave when Jackson showed up outside her house unannounced. She says he asked her to give him a tour of her home, and when they got to her bedroom, Jackson started asking her sexual questions about her relations with her boyfriend. The claim says Jackson later demoted her and then showed up at her home unannounced a second time, and tried to push the door open when she only cracked it open.
Monika Hazel, a former area superintendent, claims Jackson called her his “work wife” and asked her to accompany him to a hotel room, his own home and even a trip to Las Vegas, according to her claim against the district.
During what she described as his last overt sexual advance, Hazel says Jackson promised to protect her from a “purge” of district administration workers. She says after she rejected his sexual overture, Jackson demoted her to a teacher, “a humiliating downgrade in position and pay.”
Both Bustani and Hazel accuse the district of sex harassment and discrimination, as well as negligent hiring and retention. Hazel is also suing the district for retaliation. Both claim that their workplace became so intolerable, they were forced to quit their jobs. Hazel worked for SDUSD for 17 years. Bustani worked for the district for 27 years. Hazel is seeking $700,000. Bustani is seeking $2 million.
NBC 7 Investigates reached out to both women for comment. They share an attorney who told us they both stand by their claims.
On Monday, the district shared this statement, "The San Diego Unified School District took all claims and allegations seriously, and immediately engaged an independent third-party investigator with no ties to the District to conduct the investigation. This investigation began immediately upon the District becoming aware of the claims and allegations, in advance of formally receiving the complaints. The allegation of inappropriate conduct toward two former employees was found to be credible. All claims and allegations raised in the letters have been thoroughly investigated, addressed, and are now closed. San Diego Unified remains committed to transparency, the safety and well-being of all students and staff, and to upholding the values of our community."
Lamont Jackson responds to claims of misconduct
Jackson responded to the legal claims and media coverage on Wednesday evening.
In a statement shared with NBC 7, the former superintendent expressed pride in what the district accomplished under his leadership but felt it was time to step away from his role.
"While I take considerable exception to the claims which have been made against me, it became clear that my continued service as a leader for the district would serve as an unnecessary and unwarranted distraction," Jackson said in his statement, in part. "As a result, I believed it would be in the best interests of our students, staff, families, and community for me to step aside."
He denies the sexual misconduct claims.
"I am emphatic that the characterization of me is completely inaccurate. People who know me best know that I would never behave in the manner alleged in these complaints," Jackson said in his statement in part.
Jackson added that he endorses the district’s current interim superintendent, Dr. Fabiola Bagula.
His full statement is below:
New claims against interim Superintendent Fabiola Bagula
The claim documents also lay out accusations against the woman the school board selected to temporarily replace Jackson as its interim superintendent, Fabiola Bagula. Hazel says Bagula was complicit in Jackson’s sexually-charged behavior and bullied women who didn’t go along with the program.
Hazel says Bagula regularly threatened her, forcing her to speak in a “baby girl” voice while “cowering and bowing towards her.” Hazel, who is white, says Bagula also made racist comments about Caucasian people to her coworkers of color.
The claims also mention that neither Jackson nor Bagula were placed on administrative leave during the district’s investigation into Jackson’s misconduct.
Within its new statement released Tuesday, the district responded to the allegations against Bagula, without going into much detail, writing, “A claim involving Interim Superintendent Bagula was also thoroughly investigated and resolved by the third-party investigator, and has been addressed by the District…The Board has full confidence in Dr. Bagula and in her capacity to lead San Diego Unified with integrity.”
We also reached out to Bagula separately, but our calls and emails weren’t returned.
The district won’t release the full investigation it paid for
In its statements to the media, the district has repeatedly stated that it’s “dedicated to upholding the highest standards of transparency, safety and accountability."
NBC 7 Investigates has asked the district to release the full investigative report into Jackson’s conduct, which it has refused to do. To date, it’s only provided the cover page, which is a summary of the report. The district cited public records laws that allow it to withhold documents based on pending litigation or attorney-client privilege. However, other agencies have released investigative reports in similar circumstances.
We’ve requested to speak with School Board President Shana Hazan four times in the last two weeks. She has yet to provide a time she is available.
NBC 7 Investigates also made multiple attempts to contact Jackson for our reporting, but our efforts were not returned.
The district's full statement
The San Diego Unified School Board is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all students and staff, as well as maintaining transparency and accountability in all matters.
This week, board trustees were made aware of an anonymous letter that described concerns about Dr. Jackson. Initially, the letter had been sent to the Executive Director of the administrators’ union in 2023 who sent it to District staff. Upon review by the District at the time, it was determined that the allegations were expressly based on rumors and speculation from third party anonymous sources and so, were not investigated further at the time. However, these same allegations arose during the course of the District’s most recent investigation, this time with specific facts, and were forwarded to the independent, third-party legal firm retained by the District for investigation.
An assumption was made that the letter had been shared with the Board. Only in 2024 after the independent, third-party investigation, which yielded the unsubstantiated result, was it discovered that the letter had not, in fact, been shared with the board in 2023.
The allegations described in the letter were revisited in the course of the investigation into Dr. Jackson that was completed in August 2024. The same investigation found the allegation of inappropriate conduct toward two former employees by Dr. Jackson to be credible. Based on that finding, the Board and the Superintendent mutually agreed that separation was in the best interest of the District.
A claim involving Interim Superintendent Bagula was also thoroughly investigated and resolved by the third-party investigator, and has been addressed by the District.
School Board President Shana Hazan said, “San Diego Unified is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of transparency, safety, and accountability. The Board has full confidence in Dr. Bagula and in her capacity to lead San Diego Unified with integrity.” She also explained, “We are committed to upholding the values of our community, sharing information with the public in a timely manner, and continuously improving our processes to ensure the well-being of our students and staff.”
