Teacher’s Suit Claims Sexual Harassment by Principal

A teacher who claims she was relieved of her coaching duties after she fended off the sexual advances of the principal at the school where she formerly taught has filed a $4-million lawsuit against him and the Oceanside Unified School District.

The suit filed last week by Karyl Ketchum accuses Jefferson Junior High School Principal Michael Walker of sexual harassment and discrimination. Ketchum is seeking $3 million from Walker in connection with alleged unwelcomed advances against her at a school event in June, 1988.

Besides naming Walker, 42, the lawsuit also seeks $1 million from the Oceanside Unified School District for failing to both conduct a proper investigation of Ketchum’s complaints and take disciplinary actions against Walker.

Dan Armstrong, a school district spokesman, said Tuesday that he had not received a copy of the lawsuit and declined to comment. But Armstrong insisted that the school conducted a thorough and professional investigation of the charges.

According to the suit, “Walker assaulted and battered (Ketchum) by grabbing her from behind on the right buttock, with such force and vehemence that bruises and physical marks of abuse resulted.”

Ketchum, 34, claims the incident occurred within full view of students and adults attending an intramural basketball game between faculty and students.

According to the suit, the academic year ended shortly after the incident and, upon returning to school in September, Ketchum was abruptly informed--without any explanation from Walker--that she had been relieved of all her coaching duties.

At that time, Ketchum was a tenured teacher who--in addition to serving as chairwoman of the school’s science department--coached basketball, cross-country and volleyball.

Ketchum said she notified district administrators of the problems, but claims that the district’s investigation was conducted in bad faith. The suit alleges that the investigator was, and continues to be, a friend of Walker, thus creating a conflict of interest. She also alleges that promises of confidentiality offered during the investigation were broken repeatedly.

Armstrong declined to comment on the investigation’s findings but denied that it was conducted improperly.

“It grieves me to see a member of the district at least seemingly infer that the district office would be less than professional about checking out such grievances,” Armstrong said. “It went to the appropriate administrator and a thoroughly professional job was done.

“The investigation was reviewed by the district and an attempt was made to reach an amicable resolution with the teacher,” Armstrong said. “Unfortunately that could not be done.”

Armstrong said he did not know whether any disciplinary action has been taken against Walker, the principal at Jefferson Junior High since 1980.

Besides the June 15 incident, Ketchum claims that Walker sexually harassed her by kissing and embracing her on two other occasions.

As a result of the strained working environment, Ketchum left Jefferson in February and now works as a temporary physical education teacher at elementary schools in the Oceanside district.

Walker could not be reached for comment Tuesday.