Dr. John Baeke's blog post critical of a Santa Ynez Valley Union High School history teacher based on an "unlawfully recorded" lesson has led to a decision to formally censure the board member for violating multiple policies.
During a special meeting of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education on Thursday night, Baeke’s colleagues discussed his actions and initially moved toward issuing a written reprimand that demanded he take several steps, including removing the Nov. 4 post, "SYVUHS teacher on white people with no college," on his blog, drbaekeforschoolboard.org.
“This is not about content; this is about a violation of procedures,” board president Jan Clevenger said, adding that the board respects the free speech rights of individual board members and invited vigorous discussion and debate. "However, that was not what happened here, where a fellow board member posted an unlawfully recorded portion of a district class on his personal blog and YouTube, made and posted transcription of that recording, and then made derogatory comments about a district teacher on his blog.”
Board member Jose Juan Ibarra said Baeke appeared unapologetic about his actions, suggesting a higher level of punishment than a written reprimand for “a serious matter.”
“It is clear to me, based on what we are hearing and what we're seeing tonight, and weighing in on the findings of the report, that there’s a clear violation, and the unwillingness to take responsibility is concerning,” Ibarra said.
“I believe my actions were indeed appropriate,” Baeke said near the end of a 20-minute soliloquy that included calling for the installation of cameras in classrooms to monitor lessons and increase security.
The Lompoc plastic surgeon, who was elected to the board in 2018, claimed he “is being vilified” and alleged that the California Teachers Association has threatened “civil and criminal nonsense.”
More than a dozen people spoke out in support of Baeke before the report's release, but board members said the speakers did not have all of the facts.
A screenshot shows Dr. John Baeke’s blog, which included a post criticizing a Santa Ynez Valley Union High School teacher, leading to a vote to censure Baeke for violating board policies and bylaws.
"I believe the focus is on the wrong person," speaker Bill Krauch said. "We have a teacher who is upset because what he said in the classroom with minor children has been made public. Are parents, taxpayers not allowed to monitor classroom teaching? This teacher appears to be indoctrinating an ideological viewpoint versus teaching critical thinking."
A number of board policies and bylaws guide members' behavior, including that they should "govern in a dignified and professional manner, treating everyone with civility and respect" and should notify the superintendent about complaints from staff, parents or others. Another directs members' actions on social media and other online sites, calling for "respectful, courteous and professional manner and to model good behavior for district students and the community."
The board voted 3-1 to approve the censure, with Clevenger, Ibarra and board member Tory Babcock in favor. Baeke opposed the motion, and board member Stephen Luke was absent.
They also agreed to appoint a subcommittee of Clevenger and Ibarra to iron out the specifics of the censure for formal approval at a future board meeting.
The issue centered on Baeke’s posting of a video recording from a Zoom classroom lesson along with a transcript and a sentence-by-sentence commentary critical of the teacher's lecture.
The teacher, whose name has not been released but was identified by one public speaker Thursday night and in purchase orders, filed a complaint with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and the district, leading the board to investigate the matter. A misspelled version of the teacher's name appeared in a purchase order item for a third-party investigation.
“As a result of the investigation into the employee’s complaint, the board determined Dr. Baeke’s actions were in violation of its board policies and bylaws, and notice was provided to the employee that the board would take appropriate corrective action,” attorney Chelsea Olson Murphy of Lozano Smith law firm said.
She noted that several board policies applied to the situation along with state Education Code prohibiting recording elementary or secondary classrooms. The state law states that "[a]ny person, other than a pupil, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor” and “[a]ny pupil violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.”
The 10-page report by Kathryn Eppright from Andre Morris & Buttery also raised questions about Baeke’s credibility.
“I found each of the witnesses I interviewed to be credible and providing a truthful version of events from his or her particular perspective, with the exception of Dr. Baeke, who I found was not credible in his description of some of the events as discussed below,” the report noted.
Baeke denied preparing the transcript of the recording, although another person claimed he had done so over several days, according to the report.
During the meeting, Baeke questioned why a history teacher was talking about the upcoming presidential election.
“The liberal voice demeaned and mocked individuals in our country whose political ideation differed,” Baeke said.
He also read a couple of a quotes from the lecture during the meeting: “So if you are white-no college, I believe there are federal laws requiring you to vote for Trump. Very hard to find an adult white person male who didn't go to college, not a Trump supporter.”
The teacher went on to say that this doesn’t apply to the Santa Ynez Valley since “we are an upscale, very well-educated community, filled with Trump supporters,” according to Baeke’s blog.
At the urging of the district, Baeke briefly removed the blog post in early November, but said the threat of litigation never went away, leading him to restore the post. It remained online Friday.
The board has agreed to pay up to $10,000 for the investigation into the matter, Superintendent Scott Cory said Friday.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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February 14, 2021 at 10:48AM
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Santa Ynez Valley High School Board Censures Member John Baeke Over Blog Post Criticizing Teacher - Noozhawk
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