Parents defended a Colorado teacher who drew cartoon penises on her students’ papers and yearbooks – apparently as a joke.
Rebecca Roetto, an employee at Fairview High School since 2003, works as a physical education instructor and teaches Wellness in Action, Yoga and Bowling, and also leads the Adelante! program, which provides support to first-generation Hispanic students.
Students, parents and fellow teachers attended a board meeting in Boulder Tuesday evening to decry the veteran teacher’s possible firing over allegations of “sexual harassment.” The Denver Post reported.
“Is what happened a mistake? Yes,” Randi Hart, a substitute teacher who previously worked with Roetto, told The Denver Post.
‘Should a career of twenty years be lost because of this? No.’
Rebecca Roetto (right), a high school teacher in Colorado, was reported last May for drawing cartoon penises on her students’ papers and yearbooks
Last May, a school security guard reported Roetto after an outlined penis on a student’s form caught his attention.
The report resulted in an investigation, which found she engaged in “misconduct” and “engaged in inappropriate behavior with and toward students that constitutes sexual harassment and violates multiple governing body policies.”
Students spoke out to share details about the day of the incident, noting that they were confronted with hundreds of penises pulled onto the building in what may have been a senior prank.
They claimed that they suggested Roetto sign penises on their “check-out forms” – documents that seniors must have for graduation – instead of the proper stamp which she did not have at the time.
She agreed and then drew a penis on ten students’ forms.
After the investigation, Boulder Valley Superintendent Rob Anderson recommended Roetto be fired from the district.
But letters and testimonials from parents and former students proved that they saw the old teacher in a completely different light.
Boulder Valley Superintendent Rob Anderson recommended Roetto be fired from the district following the investigation into the incident
“Miss Roetto has spent her entire career standing up for those of us who have no voice,” Jennifer Contreras Robles, a former Fairview student, told The Denver Post.
Robles, who is now a sophomore at the University of Colorado, said Roetto was her support when she was discriminated against by another teacher. She even helped her apply to college.
“There are real problems at Fairview, and Miss Roetto is not one of them,” she added. “She is the kindest, most supportive teacher I have had.”
Speakers at the board meeting wondered why a single mistake would lead to the district firing her.
Some even wondered if the real reason for her dismissal was her advocacy for a better school culture, noting that she supported several students who were victims of sexual assault.
“I wonder if what we’re seeing today is retaliation for using her voice to draw attention to these failures in our schools,” said Katherine Francis, another speaker.
The Boulder Valley School District settled for $1.26 million in 2022 a federal sexual assault harassment lawsuit brought by two former Fairview High School students, The Denver Post reported.
Students and parents headed to a board meeting in Boulder Tuesday night to condemn the veteran teacher’s possible firing over ‘sexual harassment’ allegations
In 2019, the school’s star quarterback was arrested on sexual assault charges but later acquitted of the most serious charges.
Shortly afterwards, a former lacrosse player was convicted of sexually harassing three young women while he was still a student, resulting in an internal investigation and the retirement of the school’s principal.
Another former footballer was also convicted of attempted sexual assault after allegedly locking a girl in a locker at school and groping her.
Students protested the tolerance of inappropriate behavior, especially by male athletes, and walked out of the school.
Kari Costello, a former Fairview teacher, said at the board meeting that there is a pattern of female teachers being “disproportionately harassed, reprimanded or punished,” and asked for an investigation into gender discrimination within the district.
“Teachers live in fear,” she said.
The dismissal advice was not discussed by the school board, but was an information point.
Roetto has been on paid leave since August 7 and did not speak during Tuesday’s board meeting.