A teacher at an Arizona charter school has been fired after a concerned parent alerted the school that he had been fired from previous teaching jobs in the past for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
The San Tan Charter School in Gilbert, Arizona fired gym teacher Oscar Rosero on Monday after the mother approached school administrators with her concerns.
The mother had found an official complaint filed in 2011 with the Arizona Department of Education showing Rosero's license to teach had been revoked.
In the complaint, Rosero admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a student in April 2010 while employed at Horizon Community Learning Center in Phoenix. He was fired from his position after admitting to the allegations, and said that he “lost track of who he was” with that student, the complaint said.
In June 2010, Rosero applied for a job with Balsz Elementary School District in Phoenix. The complaint states he was asked if he had “ever failed to be rehired, been asked to resign a position, resigned to avoid termination, or was terminated from employment on his application," and he answered “no.”
The complaint also shows he failed to let administrators know that he had worked at Horizon.
Balsz hired him in July in 2010 and learned about the allegations in October. Rosero was allowed to resign instead of being fired, the complaint states.
The Board subsequently filed a complaint against Rosero. On August 9th, 2011, the Professional Practices Advisory Committee, PPAC, held a hearing about the complaint. Rosero took responsibility for his actions, documents show.
The committee voted 4-0 to recommend Rosero's teaching certificate be revoked. The Board of Education accepted the recommendation and revoked his license.
After finding the public findings about Rosero, the concerned parent went to San Tan Charter School administrators on Monday. By 11 a.m., Rosero had been fired.
In a letter sent home to parents, Principal Kris Sippel said Rosero was fired after concerns about him surfaced online. His letter also stated that Rosero had passed a Department of Safety background check, and that he holds a Class 1 fingerprint clearance card.
But, the question the parent wants to know is, why didn't Rosero's past never come up?
“He’s been here for two years and no one seems to have had any ideas,” said the concerned parent.
Charter schools can operate under different rules and policies.
The Board of Education revoked his license, and flagged him in state and national systems.
According to the Online Arizona Certification Information System (OACIS), Rosero still had a valid teaching certificate, and his disciplinary history was highlighted in red print.
Dr. Kristofer Sippel, the principal of San Tan, declined to answer questions about how Rosero was hired and whether they were aware of his background — or even checked to see.
Ashley Berg, Executive Director of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, said applicants must have a valid fingerprint clearance card, and that “a charter school shall not employ a teacher whose certificate has been surrendered or revoked unless the teacher’s certificate has been subsequently reinstated by the state board of education.”
It also states that the charter school should “make documented, good faith efforts to contact previous employers of a person to obtain information and recommendations that may be relevant to a person’s fitness for employment.”
It’s important to note that “charter schools are independent public schools, and most operational decisions are made on-site,” according to the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools website.
According to the mother, Rosero was employed at San Tan Charter School as a physical education teacher, and coached the volleyball team for at least the last two years.
His biography on the San Tan Charter School’s website, which has since been deleted, listed him as having a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education in K-12 Physical Education.
