A long-time Hollister physical education teacher and private volleyball league coach is off the payroll at Rancho San Justo Middle School in what officially is being called a resignation. But Thomas M. Schatz would have been terminated if he had not agreed to resign, Lisa Andrew, superintendent of the Hollister School District, told BenitoLink.
No reason for the Jan. The concerns involved students at Rancho, where Schatz also served as athletic director, and girls in his private, multi-county athletic operation, Faultline Volleyball , whose website lists him as its president.
Faultline serves girls in communities from Morgan Hill to Salinas, according to its website, uses gym facilities at many schools in the region and is affiliated with Starlings Volleyball USA, which is part of the U. He also has coached in Watsonville. While the police report was taken as a complaint about a possible violation of California Penal Code section Parents are in some of the photos. In an interview with BenitoLink, Schatz said that he has never been charged with anything.
He said he did speak with police in April , but nothing came of it. He called his departure from HSD a mutually agreed upon resignation but declined to respond to a series of written questions from BenitoLink. He acknowledged that his resignation has been reported to the state commission on teacher credentialing, but said that is required when a teacher resigns. It is unclear whether Schatz was disciplined or admonished in any way by school officials because personnel records are confidential, according to school officials.
However, after the complaints, he remained on the payroll as a teacher and athletic director and has continued with his Faultline teams. The three-page letter sent at the time by a mother and father to school and law enforcement officials described about eight months of behavior by Schatz. It ended like this:. If not we will take further action.
