College Officials Take No Action Concerning Future of Embattled Professor
Members of the Kern Community College District board meeting failed to make a decision Thursday concerning the future of Bakersfield College history teacher Matthew Garrett.
Garrett is accused of violating Education Code Sections 87732 and 87735 by alleged immoral or unprofessional conduct, dishonesty, unsatisfactory performance, evident unfitness for service, persistent violation of, or refusal to obey school laws of the state and willful refusal to perform regular assignments without reasonable cause.
Garrett is a staunch conservative who insists the allegations against him are false and violate his First Amendment rights.
According to Bakersfield.com, Garrett accused colleagues Oliver Rosales and Andrew Bond of misappropriating grant money to fund a “propaganda website.” This brought an investigation in 2020 by third party consultant Ren Nosky, who determined Garrett had acted “unprofessionally” and his claims proved “unfounded.”
The report also found that, between November 2019 to October 2022, Garrett requested 36 different investigations. The report said that each of the 36 were “baseless complaints.”
Bakersfield.com reports another instance mentioned in the statement of charges allegedly took place Jan. 31, when Garrett is said to have threatened board Trustee John Corkins by email, saying he had possession of documents showing Corkins’ “past indiscretions.”
The website reports after hearing public comments, the district’s board of trustees adjourned to closed session Thursday morning, then emerged in open session at 1 p.m. to announce it had not acted on a report calling for his termination based on alleged violations of the college’s code of conduct.
The KCCD board can choose to deliberate on Garrett’s future at its next board meeting on May 4.
-Posted by Jeff Lemucchi
