pinion Letter to the Editor: Will School Board Ignore a Judge's Recommendation on Matthew Kane as Well?

Dear Editor: 

The Manatee County School District is once again addressing another issue of the Frazier investigation. There is little doubt that the board will vote to approve the legal fees for Matthew Kane in the amount of over $49,000. The board has been consistent in whitewashing everyone connected to the scandal at Manatee High School.

The Recommended Order by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) makes interesting reading material. This report can be found on the School Web Site under “Board Meeting 2014-15 meeting resources.”

The school board agenda for April 14 states that Mr. Kane was acquitted.

But the ALJ issued a final order to terminate the employment of Matthew Kane and concluded that no back pay or other benefits are owed.

How can the school board ignore the recommendation of the ALJ who heard all of the testimony?

In this report, a student’s mother, referred to as L.S., talked to Mr. Kane about a student lingerie party that Mr. Frazier said he would attend. Mr. Kane did not deny it occurred but said that he does not remember this meeting. The ALJ stated that the L.S. testimony was credible.

Jackie Peebles testified that she entered Mr. Frazier’s office through a closed door and found Mr. Frazier seated behind his desk with a student sitting sideways across his lap, feeding him cake.

She reported this incident the next day to Kane. Mr. Kane’s testimony was that he had no recollection of the cake incident. But the ALJ stated Kane’s testimony was not as credible as Ms. Peebles’.

These reports were received and ignored instead of being documented, investigated and addressed with Mr. Frazier.

Ms. Horne from OPS called Mr. Kane to inform him of an anonymous complaint received by the superintendent’s office regarding female students riding with Mr. Frazier on his golf cart. She called Kane a second time and was told that he had talked with

Frazier. Again, Kane did not document his verbal directive to Frazier.

Steve Gulash reported to Kane that Frazier had shoved a water bottle between a student's legs. Once again Kane had no recollection of this incident being reported.

Mr. Kane shows a pattern of failure to document or act on reports of Mr. Frazier’s inappropriate conduct with female students.

The ALJ’s findings are as follows:

• Mr. Kane failed to carry out his professional responsibilities and obligations to students.

• Mr. Kane demonstrated immorality, misconduct in office and incompetence and willful neglect of duty and knowingly failed to report actual or suspected child abuse.

And yet, our school board allowed him to resign rather than terminate him and he is presently employed as an assistant principal in Polk County school system.

Is our school board more interested in politics than in the welfare and safety of students? You be the judge.

The full investigative report can be found here.