IT'S OFFICIAL: Principal Who Blew Whistle on Teacher Suicide and Death Threats to Go to Trial Against School District

ABC Unified School District charged with repeatedly concealing facts of kindergarten teacher’s lewd and lascivious charges,  suicide and death threats to avoid bad publicity

Trial to start Oct. 31

LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for the ABC Unified School District  ( Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, and Norwalk) and former Stowers Elementary School principal Eileen Blagden were unable today to reach an agreement on a settlement during a court ordered settlement conference regarding suicide and death threats made in 2010 by a kindergarten teacher who had recently been accused of lewd and lascivious behavior and indecent exposure and convicted on trespassing.  After reporting the threats, principal Eileen Blagden was put on a three-month administrative leave before being demoted back to a teacher. 

“All I want is for the truth to come out,” commented Eileen Blagden.  “This is about protecting our children and the staff on the campuses of our schools.  I did the right thing in reporting the threats to the police.  The children come first—not the union, and not the school district’s reputation.”

Ron Wilson, attorney for Eileen Blagden said, “It’s unfortunate that an agreement could not be reached today.”

“Eileen and I are prepared to exhaust all legal remedies available at this time in an effort to not only try to undo the damage already done to her reputation and 26-year career as a stellar educator—but to make sure that as we go into another school year, that the children in the ABC Unified School District are protected from all harm, even when the threat is coming from within by a teacher.”

The ABCUSD was alleged to have participated in a Jerry Sandusky like cover-up by district officials after a kindergarten teacher made public suicide and death threats towards two of his colleagues. On January 26, 2010, kindergarten teacher Kevin Kirby who had recently been re-assigned to Stowers Elementary School in Cerritos after being charged with 2 counts of lewd and lascivious behavior and convicted of trespassing in the City of Long Beach, made suicide and death threats against two other teachers to then-principal Eileen Blagden.  When Blagden reported the incident to District officials, she was told to keep her mouth shut and ‘tell no one’ of the incident.  Blagden, who by law is a mandatory reporter, reported the incident to police and alerted the teachers in danger.  Less than a week later, Kirby, the teacher, was offered a cash settlement to leave the District quietly and Blagden was put on administrative leave for three months before being demoted back to a teaching position.

Blagden hired attorney Ron Wilson and filed a lawsuit against the ABCUSD alleging retaliation for whistle-blowing.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell denied the school district's motion for a summary judgement and has set a jury trial for Oct. 31.

The ABCUSD will hold its regular meeting of the members of the Board tonight, Tuesday, July 17, at 7 p.m. at 16700 South Norwalk Boulevard in Cerritos.