Santa Paula Schools Chief Suspended for Clash With Boy : Education: Supt. David Philips will take a week off with no pay after conflicting reports about May incident. Decision caps a year of turmoil at Isbell Middle School.

Trustees of the Santa Paula Elementary School District have narrowly voted to suspend Supt. David Philips without pay over a run-in he had in May with an eighth-grade student at Isbell Middle School, district officials said Friday.

Meeting in closed session Thursday night, the trustees voted 3 to 2 to suspend Philips for five days beginning Monday. The superintendent, whose annual salary is $86,000, had previously served a five-day paid suspension while an attorney hired by the district investigated the incident.

Philips could not be reached for comment Friday.

The ruling capped a tumultuous year at the district’s 800-student middle school, which included suspensions of two teachers for allegedly battering students and a vote of no confidence in the school’s principal by 28 of its 30 teachers.

On Friday, trustees were tight-lipped about the reason for suspending Philips, saying only that they hoped the action would put the matter to rest.

“It’s over and done with,” said Trustee Ben Sais. “Hopefully, it will lead to a positive change in direction and an atmosphere we need to be productive.”

Board President Janet Grant issued a prepared statement, in which she said Philips “continues to have the support of the Board of Trustees.” She declined further comment.

The board acted after reviewing an Oxnard law firm’s report of the May 27 incident between Philips and David Marlow, 14, outside a fifth-period math class. The trustees interviewed Philips about the incident in closed session Wednesday evening.

In an interview earlier this month, Philips said the incident occurred after he responded to a disturbance in a second-floor hallway. Philips said he yanked open a door that Marlow was holding shut and grabbed the student to break his fall.

But Marlow said in an interview shortly after the incident that Philips grabbed him under the arms, “slammed me against the wall and held me up in the air.” He said the administrator yelled at him during the confrontation.

Neither David Marlow nor his father, Michael Marlow, could be reached for comment Friday.

The Santa Paula Police Department, which investigated the incident after a school counselor filed a report, decided that no criminal charge would be filed because of conflicting testimony by witnesses, and left the matter to be resolved by district administrators.

After the incident, some district officials blamed disgruntled teachers for exaggerating the incident. Two teachers had previously been suspended for five days with pay after students complained that the teachers had abused their authority when disciplining them.

Michael Weimer, president of the Santa Paula Federation of Teachers, said Friday he hoped that by reviewing the confrontation between Philips and the student, the trustees would understand the disciplinary problems that exist at Isbell.

“I hope everyone in the district understands now the pressure teachers are under teaching at Isbell, where students are more likely to question your authority,” Weimer said.

“Most teachers are not used to it and sometimes act on the spur of the moment,” he added. “Sometimes it’s regrettable what the teacher does. I don’t think the superintendent is a bad person because of this incident.”

In a report on the problems at Isbell Middle School prepared by the Ventura County grand jury, the jurors concluded that teachers at the school need better support from the administration to control student misbehavior.

“The inability of administration to recognize the basic gravity of any expression of defiance is partially responsible for the breakdown of discipline in the school,” the report concluded. The jurors recommended that the district establish rules of conduct for students and penalties for misbehavior.