VENTURA : Reinstatement of Teacher Faces Appeal

Ventura school trustees have decided to appeal a state administrative panel’s order to reinstate a teacher accused of inappropriately touching his students.

The Ventura Unified School District board voted unanimously Tuesday to ask the Ventura County Superior Court to overturn the state panel’s decision on teacher Bryan Bowman.

In a decision released last week, the panel voted 2 to 1 that the district retain Bowman as a full-time employee and return him to his previous position at Blanche Reynolds School.

Bowman has been on unpaid leave since last year.

Although the state panel confirmed most of the district allegations against the teacher--including that he held students on his lap for extended periods of time and confined one girl to her chair by stretching tape across her lower body--it said none of the conduct was grounds for dismissal under the state education code.

Bowman’s attorney has refused to comment on the panel’s decision.

But school board member Velma Lomax said school officials believe they have a good case against the 39-year-old Bowman, considering that the state panel upheld most of the allegations against him.

“For the protection of the children, we have to follow every remedy that we can to make sure something else like this won’t happen again,” Lomax said.