Some Del Norte High School parents are celebrating the news that Poway Unified School District Superintendent Marian Kim Phelps has been put on paid administrative leave.
“I was very relieved,” Del Norte High School parent Ted Buchen said.
Buchen is among the group of parents and students accusing Phelps of harassing members of Del Norte High’s softball team for not clapping loudly enough for her daughter during an awards banquet last May. They say she contacted students late at night after the event and threatened seniors' graduation privileges if they did not apologize.
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The allegations first surfaced at a Poway board meeting in November, but Buchen says they alerted the district months earlier.
“Amongst multiple people in the community, we’ve been to four, five board meetings,” Buchen said. “We’ve sent multiple text messages and emails to actual board members. There's been over 100 pages of evidence provided to the board members, and none of that seemed to move the needle.”
In November, a Del Norte High softball player filed a lawsuit against Phelps and the district over the alleged bullying, claiming emotional distress, violation of free speech, harassment and more.
“So many families cut their necks out and went to board meetings and risked defamation in the community, their kids not playing softball, whatever it may be,” Buchen said. “And the board initially, in my opinion, didn’t listen.”
But parents believe the tide has turned after the district released a statement that read, in part:
“We have reached a sensitive point in the investigation and received information regarding the impact of this process. To avoid distraction and to ensure continued focus on the district’s business and commitment to serving our students and community, the board is placing the superintendent on paid administrative leave.”
“I think it's a step in the right direction, but I have questions as to why now because the board has had evidence for months," Del Norte High parent Rachell Babler said.
Still, Babler hopes it’s just the first step in an investigation she says parents deserve.
“I think the district needs to revisit what happened here and how they come across as transparent,” Buchen said.
Phelps has denied all allegations.
