Is District Seeking a Replacement for Ethnic Slur Teacher?

La Cañada Unified School District is advertising an upper-level math position to begin after the holidays--suggesting that district officials are preparing for the possible dismissal of Gabrielle Leko, the teacher who used inappropriate language with her students.

The district's governing board reconvenes Wednesday at 5 p.m. for a closed-session hearing on Leko, a veteran teacher at accused of referring to one student as "Jew boy'' and making fun of another student's stutter. The deadline to apply for the advertised math position is 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Assistant Superintendent Patricia Hager told Patch Tuesday that it's common practice for a district to regularly advertise positions, especially the more academically rigorous ones.

"It's good to keep your fingers on the pulse of who's out there,'' she said.

When asked specifically about a connection between Leko and the job posting, Hager reiterated that it's good for school districts to have an applicant pool of qualified teachers.

The full-time math position, posted on the district's website since Dec. 8, includes teaching five periods, specifically in the subjects of pre calculus through advanced calculus. The job would begin Jan. 9 and run through the rest of the year. It is possible the job could turn into a tenure-track position for the 2012-13 school year.

Leko came under fire following former governing board member Cindy Wilcox' public complaint, which came to light in October. Wicox filed the complaint last June, accusing the veteran teacher of ethnic and gender bias.

Firestorm

The news ignited a , some of whom had complained to administrators as long as a two years ago about Leko's inappropriate classroom behavior. At a recent school board meeting, LCHS student Alyssa Stolmack called the teacher's language "verbal atrocities.''

Repeated phone calls to Leko have not been returned.

The outcome of the district's investigation into Leko, spurred by Wilcox' complaint, included mandating sensitivity training for Leko, despite the fact that the teacher--along with the rest of the district--had already received said training.

Because Wilcox--who wants Leko dismissed or entirely supervised when she is in front of children--believes the district's internal investigation was inadequate, she filed a "uniform complaint'' with the district in November. Uniform complaints tackle weightier issues--such as ethnic, racial and gender discrimination, Wilcox explained.

'Another Pair of Adult Eyes'

The district has placed a substitute teacher in Leko's classroom while she's teaching. Hager said that the additional adult in the room "is really for [Leko's] sake,'' given the heated public accusations.

"It's another pair of adult eyes. We're just playing it safe,'' she said.

On Wednesday, if there is any formal action in closed session--such as a vote for dismissal--it will be reported out in public session. There's no telling how long the discussion will last behind closed doors, however. Board members met in closed session for hours both before and after the regular meeting on Dec. 6. They are reconvening Wednesday. 

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