SRCS Allowed Director to Continue Employment After Sexual Harassment Allegations Deemed Valid
Santa Rosa City Schools Director Van Dyke was suspended for two days without pay for sexually harassing a colleague
Per his LinkedIn, Mr. Rand Van Dyke, former Santa Rosa City Schools (SRCS) Assistant Superintendent of Technology & Information Services, was employed with the district through June 2023.
He is now a self-employed Education Data Entrepreneur, but it is not clear as to why his contract was not renewed with the district. He initially began his employment with SRCS as the Assistant Principal of Maria Carrillo High School in 2003.
On February 5, 2018, SRCS received a formal complaint regarding alleged sexual harassment by Mr. Van Dyke. Mr. Van Dyke’s records of alleged misconduct and disciplinary action indicated that he was placed on paid administrative leave by Mr. Jason A. Lea, former Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources following receipt of the complaint.
An investigation was conducted by Mr. Mark Adams’ Whitestar Group to verify the validity of the allegations brought forth in the complaint.
The following evidence was included within the records released by the district:
The full investigative findings report may be viewed here.
On February 23, 2018 Assistant Superintendent Lea issued the following letter to Mr. Van Dyke. The district’s disciplinary action was limited to suspending Mr. Van Dyke without pay for two days and complete a sexual harassment training course.
The following letter was issued by Mr. Lea to the complainant:
As Santa Rosa City Schools Administrators are barely slapped on the wrist for violating the district’s sexual harassment policies, have predators been enabled to roam free amongst parents, students and staff?
Ephesians 5:3 – “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”
This is absolutely disgusting. What an absolute filthy dog of a man. But sadly, this is not surprising. It's just another layer in the shit cake Santa Rosa City Schools has served up to an unwary community. I am angered to learn that Mr. VanDyke was promoted to an executive position for the school district, after leaving his principalship at Maria Carrillo High School. My children attended Elsie Allen, so I never got all the details, but many students have friendships across schools in our little town, so there were many rumors going around about his tendency towards inappropriate relationships with young female students, like the piece of shit that he is. So when he was "disappeared from Carrillo, I assumed they were quietly getting rid of a problem employee in an attempt to do the right thing by vulnerable students targeted by this creep.
But they didn't do the right thing. Not only did they never do any outreach to potential victims, they FUCKING PROMOTED this creep. So I asked around (because people will talk) and it seems that he was also "disappeared" from his administrator position with the district a couple of years ago. No explanation, no fanfare, just quietly removed. But 5 years after the incident you documented can only mean that he had done something even worse to warrant such action, and the district was trying to sweep it under the rug.
But here's a surprise for you. He didn't stay self employed for long. He pretty quickly snapped up a position as Principal/Superintendent for a small district in Happy Camp, California, where I am sure he's being a creep there also. A tiger can't change its stripes.
So it's not just churches who move sexually abusive employees around. Schools and districts do it too. Putting more unwary, vulnerable victims in danger. So their use of the line "The safety of our students is our number one priority", its all just lies and bullshit.
And Mr. VanDyke isn't the first. There are sure to be way more than we know. Just a few years ago Santa Rosa High School quietly dismissed a teacher who it was widely rumored was in a "sexual relationship" with a student. I put that in quotes, because what it REALLY is is fucking CHILD RAPE. I would bet my entire savings that the teacher quickly got another teaching position somewhere else, while that student will have to deal with trauma for her entire life.
And last year that same school abruptly and quietly "disappeared" their Principal Dr. Ryan and I don't know what went down there, but the way they did it probably means there was some bad shit going on with him and the district tried to keep it on the downlow, as has always been the custom of Diann Kitamura, Anna Trunnell, their respective cabinets (Jason Lea, Rick Edson, Lisa, Cavin, Vicky Zans, the whole stinking bunch, and the school board going back for years. Deceit and corruption through and through. I remember when my sister showed me Dr. Ryan's email he sent out after leaving. But it didn't come from him. The district sent it out on his behalf, stating that his mother was in poor health and he needed to care for her. But my sister also remembered him being interviewed by the school foundation about how he was able to devote so much time to his job because he had no more living relatives. (the interview is online but I can't remember where) I looked him up and found that not only did he have another job elsewhere in education within a few weeks, but it wasn't the first time he abruptly disappeared from a school job using that same reason, only to surface again within weeks at another school position. So much for his non-existent ill mother.
The whole thing stinks of intentional deceit, perpetrated by the top employees making literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in yearly salary, while letting our children be victimized by drugs, rape, and violence on Santa Rosa City Schools campuses.
I'm glad my two older children have long graduated from Elsie. We pulled our youngest from SRCS this year and are now going to Rohnert Park. That town has problems too, but they have a far better track record of taking care of students, and our youngest is much happier there. And so are we, because Omar Medina isn't there to cause problems.
Fuck Santa Rosa City Schools, and that trash human Rand VanDyke.
Thank you for your in depth reporting, Adina.