Lehighton students stand with assistant principal

Current and former Lehighton Area High School students are showing their support for an assistant principal defending his reputation against what he said are “false claims” by a district board member.

Last week, high school Assistant Principal David Hauser addressed the board, asking for a formal apology and to be cleared of any wrongdoing after Director David Bradley Sr. accused him of strip searching a student and posting sexually explicit imagery on one of his social media accounts.

Since then, students have been posting messages of support for Hauser.

“We as students of Lehighton Area High School need to stand up for what we believe in as (Hauser) has taught us to do for many years,” Lehighton Area High School senior Jasmine Keller wrote in a letter to the Times News. “He is a selfless man, who will go to the ends of the earth for his students. He loves what he does and he does it because he cares for us, not because it’s his job.”

Keller started a hashtag “IStandWithHauser,” which fellow students have adopted. Several made signs with the message and posted them on their lockers.

Lehighton graduate and current Messiah College student Cera Gaston wrote a lengthy Facebook post, highlighting how Hauser impacted her educational career.

“No teacher is forced to make connections with their students or to be there for them in their times of need,” Gaston wrote. “But he does on his own will. Because he cares. He cherishes each bond created with every student and treats us as individuals. This man is one of the last people that deserves to have such false and horrible accusations made against him. I will firmly stand to defend his name to the public. His love for teaching and his students is perpetual no matter the struggles he faces.”

Gaston’s post drew a number of responses, some coming from students who were taught by Hauser in the Whitehall School District.

Contacted Monday, Hauser said he was overwhelmed by the unexpected response from students.

“There are no words to describe the feeling when I saw all of the words of support on social media, and received encouragement from the people who reached out to me. It’s extremely humbling. I did not expect that,” Hauser said. “I have taught a lot of really great kids and I think the response of the students speaks volumes about the kind of people they are. This isn’t something I’m discussing with students in school, but they watched the school board meeting, and to see those signs on the lockers, I’m incredibly grateful for their support.”

In June, a parent of a Lehighton Area High School student attended a board meeting and alleged his son was “strip searched,” which he defined as having any article of clothing removed during the search.

According to Hauser, he did conduct searches of students based on reasonable suspicion they possessed contraband items.

“My work was directly observed by the building principal and subsequently evaluated by the assistant superintendent, superintendent and solicitor,” Hauser said. “All found no wrongdoing, and one described the searches as textbook.”

Hauser accused Bradley of unlawfully distributing a harassment report, which contained information that served to identify him as a complainant.

“I filed the report because Mr. Bradley described me in front of a student and a parent as ‘terrible, prejudiced and someone who gets excited to search students because he was looking to score,’” Hauser said.

Bradley filed a Right To Know request earlier this year, seeking emails from three Lehighton administrators, including Hauser, from May 25 to July 10.

A legal battle over the release of those emails is currently before Carbon County Judge Roger Nanovic.

During a court hearing, Bradley argued he is seeking “transparency in government.”

Hauser, meanwhile, views the requests differently, saying that the time period for the emails requested encompasses the week before the searches and the weeks immediately after them.

“I question whether that RTK was filed in the name of transparency or in the name of intimidation,” he said.

As for the photo in question, Hauser said there was a gesture in it that he initially didn’t understand and the post was deleted. Any accusations of it being “sexually explicit imagery,” he said, are “completely false.”

Hauser said he spoke up because he wanted the community to have knowledge of what was really going on.

“At first, I was willing to just let people have their say, knowing that deep down, I knew the truth and that was good enough for me,” Hauser said. “But I’ve spent 10 years trying to build a reputation in the educational community, and it’s one that I’m very proud of. I’m not the greatest or the best, but I work hard to be there for the students. Kids need people they can go to if they need something, and that is who I have tried to be. Being in charge of truancy and discipline, I know there are days I’m not going to win a popularity contest, but I hope students and parents know I am there for them in a positive way.”

Hauser requested that the district offer “a formal apology for damage done to my professional and personal reputation.”

“It is my hope the board acts quickly unless it wishes to assume the vicarious liability of Mr. Bradley’s actions.”

While he is evaluating his legal options, Hauser said he will be patient while awaiting the response of the school board.

“Lehighton is my home and the last thing I want to do is embroil the district in a legal battle over the false allegations of a single board member,” he said. “I want to continue to handle this professionally and appropriately. If students are watching and paying attention to this, then maybe this can be a teaching moment. That puts extra pressure on me to handle it in the most professional way.”