Dozens of students, parents, teachers and staff spoke out at a San Jose Unified School District board meeting last week to protest the potential new assistant principal at San Jose High School over allegations he engaged in racist behavior and oversaw a hostile working environment at his previous school.
Community members expressed concerns over the district’s hiring process and lack of transparency and called on the district’s leaders to investigate the allegations against former Abraham Lincoln High School principal, Joseph Heffernan, who they said has a reputation for creating “demoralizing, unsafe environments” and is “dangerously unsuited for the role.”
In a February letter to Superintendent Nancy Albarran and Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services J. Dominic Bejarano, at least 86 Lincoln High teachers and staff implored district leaders to investigate Heffernan and his behavior toward students, teachers and staff, especially minorities, women and immigrants. The San Jose Teachers Association said it was not involved with the letter and does not have a position on the issue.
The letter alleged that Lincoln staff witnessed Heffernan treat students of color “disproportionately harsher,” while female employees allegedly reported being spoken down to and yelled at publicly by Heffernan. He allegedly asked at least one staff member questions regarding their green card status. The letter did not go into detail about his alleged treatment of students of color or female employees.
“Our principal does not make our staff feel safe. He talks down to people and he is unpredictable,” the letter said. “More so, staff members are afraid to speak up in fear of retaliation. This is not what Lincoln stands for. It is not what Lincoln should be.”
The district did not respond to a request for comment. Heffernan did not directly respond to a request for comment, but a public relations firm sent this news organization a statement in which he “firmly reject(s) the unfounded allegations” regarding his alleged treatment of students and has called on the district to launch a full investigation into the “source of the misleading claims,” which he called “entirely false and deeply troubling.”
“I entered the field of education with a steadfast commitment to ensuring every young person, regardless of their background has the opportunity to succeed,” Heffernan said in the post. “My mission has always been to empower students, foster their growth and shape their futures through education and mentorship. I will not allow my life’s work and dedication to my students to be tarnished by baseless rumors.”
The allegations come nearly a year after a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report found that San Jose Unified School District’s failing leadership, high turnover rate and overall lack of transparency has threatened students’ safety and led the district “adrift.”
Earlier this month, Heffernan announced to the Abraham Lincoln High community that he would be leaving his position as of June 30 and would be taking on a new opportunity “to serve the San Jose High School community,” although he did not elaborate.
While the district has not publicly confirmed Heffernan’s transition to San Jose High as assistant principal, word that he is moving there has prompted pushback both at the recent board meeting and in a May letter.
“Recently, Lincoln High parents were relieved to hear that their principal would be leaving, after years of forcefully advocating that he was harming their students,” said San Jose Unified teacher Melissa Muntz at the meeting. “And you’re about to hire that same principal as an assistant principal at San Jose High.”
In a May 15 letter to Albarran and Bejarano, more than 100 San Jose students, teachers and community members demanded the district rescind Heffernan’s placement at San Jose High and formally investigate the complaints against him, including allegations that he created a hostile work environment for women of color, disproportionately disciplined students of color and lacks the knowledge to properly support students in crisis, especially “young women of color seeking help from sexual harassment.”
At the meeting, Jovina Avila, a sophomore at San Jose High, said students and staff deserve a leader who aligns with their community’s needs and values and will make students feel safe and understood.
“The complete opposite is happening…These unworthy leaders are constantly failing many of us, which needs to end,” Avila said. “If Heffernan continues with the job at San Jose High, you will not only have failed at your job but have failed us.”
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But former Abraham Lincoln principal Matt Hewitson pointed out the importance of due process and said that many of the allegations made against Heffernan were by anonymous social media posts or people who have no direct experience with him.
“As a former Lincoln principal and current parent, I know our core value is do right, which has guided our community since 1942,” Hewitson said. “We teach our students that spreading rumors or defamatory stories is not doing right. Doing right is using a fair, legal and easy to access reporting system if you have experienced wrongdoing. If any of us found ourselves facing school discipline or character assassination, we’d want our case decided with facts and fairness.”
District superintendent Albarran briefly responded to the community’s concerns at the meeting and said investigations of employee conduct and personnel records are confidential. It’s unclear whether an investigation has or will take place.
“We value public input. We understand leadership transitions can stir strong emotions,” Albarran said. “As a district, we are committed to excellence, fairness, consistency. We also recognize that in emotional moments, we hear calls for the removal of students, staff and leaders. Any member of our community can be impacted.”