Educators Set Up Fund for Teacher Suing 2 Students

In a show of support for a Ventura High School teacher who is suing two of her students, fellow educators have set up a fund to help pay her legal fees, school officials said.

Sue McEwen, an English teacher, filed a lawsuit in December against juniors Matthew Lee and Cliff Hawthorne, whom she accused of stealing and duplicating a rubber signature stamp she uses to validate homework assignments.

“There has been a tremendous amount of support for Sue McEwen. Money has been coming in, and we needed to have some type of fund,” said John Weiss, president of the Ventura Unified Education Assn., which is overseeing the effort.

McEwen said she has already paid $3,000 in legal fees, and that the sum is expected to increase. As of Friday, the fund had collected about $900--mainly in small checks of $10 and $20, Weiss said.

The two students were caught before they were able to use the rubber stamp, said Ventura High School Principal Hank Robertson. They were expelled from McEwen’s English class, given a failing grade for the semester and told to make up the class in night school.

But Lee’s parents argued that punishing the students with a permanent mark on their record was too severe, and hired a lawyer to handle the matter.

The school eventually gave the students a failing grade in their quarterly reports. Quarterly “F” grades do not show up on a student’s permanent transcript.

McEwen said she felt the students hadn’t received the punishment they deserved, so she sued.

“I am suing legally for invasion of privacy,” McEwen said. “Morally, I am suing for a matter of principle. I’m suing because cheating should not be tolerated. Parents should be held accountable for the actions of their children.”

McEwen said she is seeking legal fees and a minimum $750 in damages. If she wins the case, McEwen said, she will donate the money to the Ventura High School journalism class.

But Donald Everhart, attorney for Lee’s parents, said there was no merit to the lawsuit. The punishment the students received is sufficient, and McEwen hasn’t suffered any damages, he said.

“I understand her [McEwen’s] frustration,” Everhart said. “But you don’t use the legal system to vent your frustration.”

Hawthorne’s family could not be reached for comment.

Weiss said teachers agree with McEwen on principle.

“Sue is not in this to make money,” Weiss said. “Cheating and honesty is something that has to be emphasized. It should start in the home and continue in school. Students should be responsible for their actions and behavior.”

He said McEwen hopes a positive outcome will strengthen teachers’ rights. “I have yet to meet one teacher who is not in support of what she is doing,” he said.

According to Robertson, support for McEwen reaches beyond the teaching community.

There is a sense of frustration in society because people are not willing to take responsibility for their actions, Robertson said.

“I just had a parent drop in from Utah,” he said. “He heard the story on the radio and gave $20.”

Correspondent David R. Baker contributed to this story.