Report: Lehighton assistant principal falsely accused
Lehighton Area High School Assistant Principal David Hauser was falsely accused by district board member David Bradley of illegally strip-searching a student in 2018 and of distributing an illicit sexual photo involving minors, according to a report accepted Monday by the school board.
Bethlehem attorney Brian Taylor, following a closed-door hearing last week requested by Hauser, prepared the report.
“I’ve been dealing with this for around a year,” Hauser said before the vote on Monday. “I want it done because I’m tired of it.”
Testimony detailed
According to Taylor’s report, the background between Hauser and Bradley goes back to May 3, 2017, when Hauser was still an English teacher at the high school and was hosting a re-election campaign event for Gloria Bowman at his home in Mahoning Township. Bradley, according to testimony, showed up, uninvited, blocked the driveway and refused to leave upon oral request.
On June 7, 2018, the high school held a “double event” which included a senior assembly in the morning and a sport recognition assembly later that same day.
Upon conclusion of the double event, Hauser and Principal Sue Howland received a report that several students were using electronic cigarettes and vaping. The report, which identified specific students, came from students and faculty members.
One such student was identified and located. Upon questioning, the student denied having any prohibited products.
In the privacy of an empty room, Hauser temporarily detained and requested that the student remove his shoes, bandana and empty his pockets. Hauser said he finger tapped the cargo short pockets that the student was wearing that day.
Upon finding no prohibited substance or items, the student was thanked and returned to his activity.
The student’s parents contacted administration alleging that the detention was improper.
Shortly thereafter, a conference was held between administration, the student and the parent.
Board members Bradley and Joy Beers attended at the invitation of the parent.
According to Hauser, at this meeting, Bradley made several accusations against him, including impugning his job performance in front of the parent.
Of particular note, Bradley stated that Hauser “gets excited to search students and that he was looking to score.”
After the meeting, Bradley released videos on social media indicating that Hauser had “strip searched” a student.
During a June 25, 2018, board meeting, Bradley filled out a comment card stating that a student had been falsely accused and strip searched in violation of the First, Fourth and 15th Amendments.
Bradley questions invite
On Monday, Bradley said he wasn’t made aware of last week’s hearing date.
“I asked and tried to get that information for weeks,” he said.
Taylor countered Bradley’s claim, stating that the two had emailed back and forth multiple times discussing the hearing.
“To say that didn’t happen is being disingenuous to everyone in this room,” Taylor told Bradley.
Bradley was the lone board member to vote no on accepting Taylor’s report. Beers and Wayne Wentz abstained. Gail Maholick left the room before the vote was taken.
“I do not condone the illegal use of educational funds on illegal activities taken by a majority of the Lehighton Area School Board,” Bradley said. “I just will not be a part of it.”
Bradley was also the only board member not in attendance at the name-clearing hearing. Maholick was removed before the hearing over objectivity concerns after reportedly calling it a “farce.”
Bradley also questioned the need for the hearing, saying that the district never disciplined Hauser.
“This was never about the search itself,” Hauser said. “It was about the assertions that I strip searched a student and shared sexually explicit images online. They were false and stigmatizing characterizations of my behavior.”
Comments
Here is the event post
"Meet and Greet .... Reach candidates for the Lehighton Area School Board. Come meet the encumbered board members.... Gloria Bowman, Stacey Duerst, Duane Eidem, Steve Holland, David Kraus and Larry Stern."
Liars should not prosper, but when the truth is silenced that is typically the case.
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Here is the event post
"Meet and Greet .... Reach candidates for the Lehighton Area School Board. Come meet the encumbered board members.... Gloria Bowman, Stacey Duerst, Duane Eidem, Steve Holland, David Kraus and Larry Stern."
Liars should not prosper, but when the truth is silenced that is typically the case.
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Lehighton Area School District can avoid additional budgetary expenditures concerning the evaluation of this man's sanity, appropriateness and relevance.
We don't need a hearing, no invitations necessary...just watch HIM implode. Maybe today, tomorrow or next week! Character, conviction, empathy and compassion are characteristics of those contributing over the long haul to serve our young people. Move on...nothing to see here!
Whereas I agree the district was the wrong jurisdiction and wasted money, there is nothing for him to sue over. Ethically at least. The statements in the report contradict ALL the sworn testimony of ALL the other witnesses, multiple witnesses. Every time he tells the story he embellishes it more and more. So in court which version would he use?
As a citizen and as a board member, I can listen to and transparently repeat the information I was provided by the community. I can review the facts and like every citizen and I can cast my judgment on those facts. These administrators don't like to be held accountable, they want rubber stampers.
The Oath of Office conflicts with the idea of rubber stampers and the Constitution demands citizens to talk about their opinions and judgment. This reforms our government of, by and for the people.
It may be a bit harsh, but, no more harsh than an administrator hosting an end of the year dragnet.
Searching multiple students on weak, hearsay testimony. It was the fact the administration chose to escalate a search of the student past the locker search to a private room where some clothes were removed in the search process that still needs to be discussed. Is that what you want in your public schools? The people should be formally asked, and the policy changed accordingly.
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Good morning. Your government, the Lehighton Area School Board, just provided a free pass to all the teachers and administrators involved in this one-sided hearing, a taxpayer-funded hearing, created and ask for by the rubber-stampers. Much like the government-funded bailouts of the financial crisis, here we have government insiders protecting the entities they were elected to oversee.
The real issue is students rights.
The final determination on this one is our students' don't have the same rights they have at a public park or public library.
And your government, this board, wrote policy to remove the rights students they would have in a public park or public library. Our public schools have rules that remove the rights of students, emulating the rights of people in a penitentiary, or house arrest.
Hate me if you see fit, but that is the current system. And the analogy is pretty close. Education is mandated, check out the truancy laws, and the results of noncompliance.
So, when we learned this to be the case, the question that was given to our entire board was asked, but only by me. I felt the need to have the parents questioned answered.
So, in honoring my oath, PA School Code, and Lehighton Policy, as a citizen, we advocated for students rights and the procedural change to school policy.
We asked the questions - and the district circled the wagons, oppression mounted, transparency lost.
So I ask this community, the true rulers of this local government.
Can a student be frisked by any staff member, searched, and can the staff order the student to remove clothes, how many and much? Can a male teacher or staff member ask a male student to expose his mid-drift, underwear, waistband, remove his socks, t-shirt, pants, shoes? Can a female administrator oversee the search of a male student?
How about a female student, can a male administrator oversee the search of a female student?
Should a parent be informed, when, the police?
Probable cause or reasonable suspicion?
Can student informants provide probable cause or reasonable suspicion?
And for the vulgar tweet: The government rules say it can't promote drug use, or participate in vulgarity, common sense. But, can our government employees, a multitude of employees, retweet vulgarity? Sexual gestures demeaning to women?
Now for the big question - Can a citizen have the above conversation? Can we ask the government to answer our questions? Or will be chastised for even reviewing the facts pertaining to what actually happened? Will, or should, the student searched, or the vulgar tweet originator be invited to give witness for the benefit of the government to adjust, correct or keep the policies we have?
Rubber-stampers, by not hosting a legitimate and properly hearing, by excluding witnesses and testimony previously collected all we have is several attorneys being paid in a taxpayer-funded snow job. They railroaded the due process.
A multitude of students was searched by your government employees, and a multitude of government employees retweeted the vulgarity, demeaning to women, contained in a students post. Favoritism, and who you related to apparently still determine the level of justice within our current system.
Hate me as the great listener, the purveyor or transparency, an underdog in a corrupt system, attempting to fix it from the inside. The messenger always takes the heat. Looking past the messenger is hard, and I am rough, but this is not anything about me, but students right to equal justice under the law in our public, government school system.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
PS. To remove me from office, any ten citizens that find the cause that my government actions are not in accordance with my Oath of Office, in that my actions were not found to be malfeasance or misfeasance, but a defiance of the law, or failure to perform their duty. The paperwork can be filed in County Court under PA Code Section 318. The bar is high, evil is pretty much the standard.
For instance, if a board member refused to adhere to a court order, or repeatedly refuses to follow the Sunshine Act, or one time refuses to follow PA School Code or follow PA Code 5301 Abuse of Office. Provided of course the board members do not seek immunity or is not granted immunity for any or all of the above violations. It seems like the more you pay the attorneys, the more above the law you can act.
PSS. The fundraiser was a public meet and greet of all the REACH, old guard candidates, not just the one mentioned. It was open to the public, publically advertised on social media. I left immediately when asked and was escorted to my car by a motley crew of bouncers, my car was properly parked and not blocking anyone.
Not nuts, just fighting a broken system. Actually, when we got in here we found so much of the basic oversight process broken. The old guard is not accepting their Oath, the responsibility to provide lawful oversight and, the need to be accountable to the people and not rubber stamps the admin and solicitor.
Yes, the sausage making is a bit ugly, and the system is really deeply broken. After the primary, if the old guard is removed, a big if, but they will race for their last lame duck hooray of overreaching power, then the freedom for the district will prevail. My skills will not be needed once the people have a voice.
As for the post, he admitted to the post, and admitted to removing it from the district site. They are just rehashing old stuff before the primary for some front page fodder.
As for the post, he admitted to the post and admitted to removing it from the district site. They are just rehashing old stuff before the primary for some front page fodder.
Here is the event post
"Meet and Greet .... Reach candidates for the Lehighton Area School Board. Come meet the encumbered board members.... Gloria Bowman, Stacey Duerst, Duane Eidem, Steve Holland, David Kraus and Larry Stern."
Liars should not prosper, but when the truth is silenced that is typically the case.
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Good afternoon. Thank you for identifying yourself so others can reply to your disgusting opinions directly.
I hope your mother ( and wife and daughters if applicable) teach you that promoting or supporting those that demean women is more evil than those doing the demeaning.
Ask Bonnie Cortese if she agrees with your support of such evil?
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
How long these opportunities will remain is seriously in question.
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Good afternoon. If I lied, which I did not, where is the evidence and why the private hearing? We proved this teacher demanded the student remove articles of clothing. Ask Principal Howland, she was present.
As for the vulgar tweets, we proved they were promoted by the government employee. We also proved they were originally sent by a board member's family member (Wayne Wentz), and proved his first amendment right to send vulgar images is his right, but, not the right of the government to resend it promote such vulgarity.
Try standing up for the morality that a government should not demean women. Identify yourself if your are proud to support government immorality.
As a zealot to evil, you expose your lack of moral standing. And as a supporter and defender of evil, I find your personal opinions to be null and void. Just like those with the opinions promoting slave ownership, racism, and governmental oppression, I find your statements just as disgusting.
Good for you!
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.