Rey Mayoral, the new temporary principal at West Marin and Inverness Schools, was caught in a nearly decade-long lawsuit with a former colleague from a school district in Oregon who described sexual assault and accused him of sexual harassment and retaliation.
Though the case was ultimately settled, an appeals court decision from 2009 found validity in some of the claims of the plaintiff, a counselor who worked with Mr. Mayoral at McKay High School in Salem, Ore.
Citing two other public complaints from women in the Salem-Keizer School District about Mr. Mayoral that were included in the suit, the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2009 affirmed the allegation that the district had been negligent, failing to investigate and discipline Mr. Mayoral in order to protect other employees.
The appellate court remanded the claims of sexual harassment back to the trial court, but the settlement preceded a trial.
The Light received an anonymous tip about Mr. Mayoral on Tuesday by mail. “How was this man hired to be around our kids and our female teachers?” it asked. “As a survivor of sexual assault, I must do everything I can to ensure that our community is safe from this man.”
Mary Jane Burke, the superintendent of Marin County schools, told the Light this week that she had no prior knowledge of the incident. “While all of our employees undergo background checks through the Department of Justice, without an arrest or conviction of any wrongdoing, this would not be brought to our attention,” she wrote.
Offering high praise for Mr. Mayoral, Ms. Burke said that after more than a decade of work in Marin schools, he was on her short list “of people who I know I can count on to step up to any task and execute beyond expectations.”
In an email to the Light, Mr. Mayoral said the court of appeals decision “is not accurate in many aspects but it was a lengthy ordeal for me.” He continued, “It culminated with a settlement for both of us in and around 2010. I was hired in Sacramento and Novato and did a stellar job before and after this incident.”
The core of the 2002 case was an allegation by Patti Steele that Mr. Mayoral had physically and sexually assaulted her at his home in March of that year. The appellate court’s ruling explained that, “over the next two days, plaintiff, who was extremely distraught, discussed the incident with her family; some friends, including colleagues at McKay; and police officers, including an officer who worked at McKay.”
Ms. Steele claimed that Mr. Mayoral and other district employees had acted in retaliation following the incident, causing her ultimately to leave her job that summer. The appellate court found that she had suffered distress but that, as a matter of law, the claim did not rise to the level of actionable retaliation.
Elizabeth McKanna, the now-retired lawyer for Ms. Steele, said this week that “the parties managed to resolve a long and arduous lawsuit in a manner that they believed was in their best interest.” She would not provide the settlement, which she said was reached shortly after the appellate court decision in 2009.
Two other women who had romantic relationships with their superior, Mr. Mayoral, and who reported retaliatory behavior to the district prior to 2002, were referenced in the suit. One reported to the district’s human resources director that her work environment was “increasingly hostile” and that the “message seems to be about power and it seems personal.” The other told the district’s director of student services that Mr. Mayoral was “vindictive as hell” and worried he would interfere with her ability to get other jobs.
The appellate court’s decision also mentioned a fourth incident, “which became widely known in the community, in which another principal physically assaulted Mayoral after finding his wife at Mayoral’s home.”
Mr. Mayoral, who is now retired, started as the part-time principal for West Marin and Inverness Schools earlier this month. His appointment, a recommendation from the Marin County Board of Education, is Shoreline Unified School District’s latest attempt to man the post.
Chris Eckert, himself an interim appointment that the board approved last summer after ousting the previous principal Matt Nagle for unspecified reasons, took an unexpected and indefinite leave in November to address what Superintendent Bob Raines described as personal problems.
Mr. Mayoral planned to stay on either until Mr. Eckert comes back, or the end of the year. The district planned to post the principal job in January.
Mr. Mayoral wrote to the Light, “I am here helping but now need to consider whether I will continue if this become an issue. It’s unfortunate because this school needs so much TLC.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Raines sent a statement to the Light, saying the district was “not aware of this legal matter prior to engaging Mr. Mayoral’s services, and is not presently aware of any wrongdoing by Mr. Mayoral that would affect his services to West Marin and Inverness Schools.”
It went on, “We are disappointed that an anonymous individual thought it appropriate to present this matter to the Point Reyes Light rather than bringing it to the district’s attention in a manner that would allow for an investigation. Hasty public disclosure of a 16-year old incident that fails to present both sides of the matter does not benefit anyone.”
After the district has investigated the issue, Mr. Raines said, it will provide a statement “at the appropriate time.”