At the Dec. 15 San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District meeting, trustees had a private discussion with Superintendent Christopher Schiermeyer about his job performance, just weeks after parents say he berated students in an elementary school classroom for misbehaving.
After the public meeting started—17 minutes late—trustees weren’t saying much about the ground they covered.
“There was no report out of closed session,” said Board President Gail Levine. “But we had a nice discussion.”
At the previous meeting on Nov. 17, several parents described how fourth-graders were brought to tears after Schiermeyer decided to intervene when students didn’t appear to be heeding their teacher’s instruction.
They called for changes to SLVUSD policies about when guests come into a classroom.
One man, who identified himself as a Ben Lomond resident and a teacher, spoke during the public comment period, Dec. 15, echoing those concerns.
“After the utter shock wore off … I was pretty upset,” he said. “This behavior’s unheard of in education.”
Things like this can cause more serious problems down the line, the public commenter stated.
“They can lead to young girls being groomed,” he said, adding that exerting authority through forceful actions sends the wrong message to students. “They learned how to be a bully.”
The man specifically brought up recent cases of current and former SLVUSD teachers Eric Kahl, Ned Hearn and William Winkler who have all been accused of sexual misconduct through various official proceedings.
In his report to the board, Daniel Brenner, the San Lorenzo Valley Teachers Association representative, said the organization has been working with the superintendent to create an institutional response to the incident in the fourth-grade class.
“SLVTA appreciates the collaborative effort with Mr. Schiermeyer to draft guidelines for classroom visits or protocols,” he said. “Our leadership will train members on these protocols, and we understand that Mr. Schiermeyer will communicate them to management.”
