Board Denies Reinstatement : Teacher Acquitted in Sex Case Kept Off Job

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District board voted unanimously in closed session Tuesday night against reinstating a teacher who had been found innocent of molesting students in a jury trial last month.

Board president Dr. Dore Gilbert issued a brief statement after the special meeting, and none of the board members would comment on the reasons for continuing the suspension of Keith Milne, 38, a reading laboratory instructor at Olivewood Elementary School in El Toro.

Suspension Extended

“The Keith Milne matter is a personnel matter,” the board statement said. “The district has a history of maintaining confidentiality on such matters. Whenever the Board of Trustees takes action to dismiss a teacher in the district, that individual is entitled to a hearing if he or she so requests.”

Gilbert said the board had voted to “extend (the) current suspension (of Milne) pending any hearing to be requested.”

After the decision was announced late Tuesday night, the teacher from Mission Viejo and his lawyer, Paul Wallin, said they would appeal the decision and seek an administrative hearing.

Wallin also said a recall action would be launched against all five school board members. “The first thing we’ll do is move to recall the board. If the recall move is successful, it would terminate this action,” said Wallin, who called the board’s decision “an absolute tragedy.”

Milne, who appeared both disheartened and angry, criticized the board’s action, calling it “a real political move.” He added: “I think they (the board) are putting themselves above the law.”

According to Associate Supt. Ken Anderson, Milne was suspended with pay in October, shortly after he was charged with numerous counts of molestation alleging he improperly touched some of his female students at Olivewood.

Milne has strenuously denied the charges against him, and a South Orange County Municipal Court jury acquitted him of seven of nine counts of child molestation on April 21. The remaining two counts were dropped by the prosecution Friday.

Since then, Milne has sought to be allowed to return to his teaching position at Olivewood. Several parents, students and other teachers have supported him publicly. On Monday night, when trustees initially took up Milne’s case for discussion, about 40 supporters appeared at the meeting.

There were no groups of supporters or opponents at Tuesday night’s meeting. Wallin said many of Milne’s backers had volunteered to come, but that he had advised against it because it was uncertain about how long the closed-door session would take.