Swim Coach Accused of Misconduct Steps Down : Settlement: In agreement with school board, Dale Hahn resigns his Ventura High post in exchange for one year’s salary.

A suspended Ventura High School swim coach accused of having sex with former students has resigned and agreed to turn in his teaching credential in exchange for one year’s salary, officials announced Tuesday.

The Ventura Unified School District board approved settlement terms with Dale Hahn, 45, and accepted his resignation during a meeting Tuesday night.

Mary Jo McGrath, an attorney for the school district, estimated that the settlement will save the district at least $40,000 in legal fees by avoiding a lengthy administrative hearing scheduled to start July 5. During the hearing, the district would have tried to prove its case for firing Hahn.

School board member Jim Wells said the agreement was “everything we wanted because it forces Hahn out of the district and removes his teaching credential.”

Board member Velma Lomax said: “I think it’s a good message that our main focus is children and the welfare of all children. When that’s breached, we have to take action.”

Hahn could not be reached for comment.

Hahn, who has taught chemistry and coached swim and water polo teams since 1973, was suspended last fall after a female student complained that he had made sexually suggestive comments to her.

District officials accused Hahn early this year of having sex with three girls while they were students--one during the mid-1970s, one who graduated in 1989 and one last fall. He was suspended in November.

But an administrative law judge ruled in May that the older allegations could not be used as evidence for firing Hahn, and the more recent allegation has not been substantiated.

That allegation arose when a male Ventura High student told school officials that one of his female friends had sex with Hahn last fall. But the female student has not come forward and the boy has refused to name her.

Ventura police dropped their investigation of Hahn in April, saying they could not find evidence of any recent criminal activity.

While police must find evidence of sexual contact to bring charges of sexual assault, school districts have broader grounds for firing a teacher. Under the state education code, districts must prove only that a teacher’s statements or actions constitute immoral conduct.

McGrath said the Ventura district still had a strong case against Hahn despite the judge’s ruling that incidents more than four years old could not be presented during the administrative hearing.

Various female students have alleged that Hahn leered at them, made sexual comments or asked them out on dates within the past few years. Other students told school officials that Hahn frequently used profanity while coaching, despite repeated warnings to clean up his language.

Under the terms of the settlement approved Tuesday night, the Ventura district will pay Hahn $50,000, the equivalent of a year’s salary plus benefits. In return, he will resign from the district and turn in his California teaching credential.

He could reapply for a credential in one year, but would be subject to a background check by state officials with access to the evidence of misconduct against him.

In addition, state officials could consider the older incidents that would not be admissible in an administrative hearing to fire Hahn.

McGrath said the administrative hearing was expected to last 19 days and cost about $90,000 in legal fees. The district has already spent $60,000 investigating Hahn and filing the charges against him, she said.

Moreover, she said, the outcome of the hearing would not have been guaranteed. If Hahn had prevailed, the district would have also had to pay his attorney’s fees.

“The evidence is very strong,” McGrath said. “But there are two sides to every story in a litigation. When you can get a settlement that works, it’s a good thing.”