Gatson received a “letter of admonishment” on June 12, 2013, after William Oman, then Bay’s principal, and then-Assistant Principal Valerie Seeley investigated the incident.
In the letter, Oman wrote that Gatson exhibited “poor judgment and boundaries with a female student.”
The letter states that after school on June 10, 2013, a custodian reported to an administrator that Gatson and a female student were alone in the band room with the lights off.
According to documents outlining the investigation, the student told Oman and Seeley she was helping Gatson set up his drums in the band room and nothing inappropriate happened. She also told them Gatson took off his shoes to play the drums.
The documents include the custodian’s written account. He stated he had an uneasy feeling when Gatson and the female student were still together when he left, so he returned. He said he heard noises, turned the lights on and “Gatson immediately came out without shoes and an untucked shirt.”
Court records associated with Gatson’s Dec. 20 arrest indicate the custodian interrupted Gatson and the student engaging in sexual intercourse in the band room after hours, and that he alerted Oman and Seeley.
Oman’s notes state when he interviewed Gatson, the teacher said he thought the custodian would be more present in the room and nothing “physical, emotional or inappropriate happened.”
Oman wrote in Gatson’s 2013 disciplinary letter, “It is my expectation that you conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times and maintain appropriate boundaries with students. This expectation is being communicated to you in writing to provide a basis for progressive disciplinary action should your behavior go unchanged.”
Gatson received another disciplinary letter in 2017, this one from then-Associate Principal Joseph Accuradi-Gillam, citing unprofessional behavior and failure to maintain employee-student boundaries after having two female students in his classroom who weren’t on his roster.
In the letter, Accuradi-Gillam wrote that the Oct. 4, 2017, incident violated a district regulation that “prohibits singling out a particular student or students for personal attention and friendship beyond the employee-student relationship.”
“Your behavior is particularly troubling, given you were previously directed to maintain appropriate employee-student boundaries by Valerie Seeley in November 2014,” Accuradi-Gillam wrote, also citing the June 2013 letter.
Seeley, Bay’s current principal, and Oman, the district’s executive director for middle schools, volunteered to step away from their jobs while the district awaits the results of the third-party investigation.
An interim principal stepped into Seeley’s position at Bay on Monday, according to a letter the district sent to Bay parents and staff Saturday. The letter included a statement from Seeley.
“I, like many, am angry and devastated about these allegations against Mr. Gatson and the impact they have on students and our community. With the information presented at the time, I followed all procedures as directed for a thorough investigation. I am grateful the victims have come forward with new information and will continue to cooperate to support the investigations,” Seeley wrote. “Until some conclusions from these investigations are reached, it feels like my presence will be a distraction and upsetting.”
The letter also included a statement from Oman.
“My heart goes out to the victim. I’m choosing to go out on leave in order to create space for a thorough review of our district practices to ensure the well-being of our students,” Oman said. “I am a product of this district, and I love our community. I will do whatever I can to improve practices moving forward. I am angry at Gatson. With the information we had at the time, we followed all policies and procedures that were in place, and I am devastated to hear that this occurred as student safety is always my top priority.”
