October 13, 2005

Leland yearbook advisor and photography teacher
arrested on possession of child pornography

District officials insist recent case is not ‘black mark’ on school

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

As if Leland High School hadn’t suffered enough, news that another staff member had been arrested for possession of child pornography last week reopened old wounds and caused more concern among a young and impressionable student body.

But tears in some parents’ eyes during a meeting last Thursday with Leland High School Principal Bob Setterlund revealed the pain and shock some felt after another teacher had been charged with a sex crime just five months after another one had been incarcerated and charged with having sex with two minor students.

Many who attended the Oct. 6 morning meeting said the mood was somber in the room as Setterlund, once again, tried to reassure parents that the administration was doing everything possible to cooperate with San Jose Police officers on the recent investigation of Brian K. Jessee, the school’s yearbook adviser, arrested and charged with possession of child pornography on Oct. 5.

Jessee, 44, walked into the police department at 3 p.m. and surrendered after a $25,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.

Police began investigating the teacher in September after receiving an anonymous tip that he had child pornography on his school-issued laptop computer. Investigators say none of the pictures involved students or activities at Leland. The district maintains if Jessee is found guilty of the crime, he was looking at the images at home and not at the school as filters on campus prevent access to 97 percent of Internet pornographic Web sites.

Parents respond to second teacher arrest at Leland in five months
“Our community is disappointed,” said Charles Tate, president of the Leland High School Parents’ Club. “There is a need to do much better.”

Tate said parents would be asking the Leland and San Jose Unified School District administrations to review their policies to ensure that the staff is committed to acceptable behavior.

Tate said the parents commend the San Jose Police Department for their commitment to protecting children and having the talent and wherewithal to take action.

A parent, who declined to be identified, said she didn’t know that Jessee had been arrested until 10 minutes before the meeting when a relative called her to give her the bad news. “Some parents were crying. The good news is that I didn’t have a child who has ever had him (Jessee) as a teacher,” the mother said. “I’m not as affected as some of the parents whose children had him as a teacher.”

Santa Clara Police sergeant Steve Brauer, whose two daughters had Jessee as a teacher, said the district could avoid these cases in the future by conducting a simple background check on teachers and having them take a polygraph exam. He said the safeguards wouldn’t be too expensive “considering what the district is probably going to have to pay out for lawsuits.”

He said complying with the safeguards would be a condition of employment, particularly with new teachers, just like it’s standard procedure for police officers who must deal with children. Currently, police officers must take two polygraph exams and undergo extensive background checks. “You would weed out a lot of people with issues like this,” Brauer said. “Even a short version of these requirements would alleviate a lot of those problems.”

Brauer said he had a feeling from the beginning that there was something inappropriate with the teacher. “There were some tell-tell signs. I find it hard to believe that this activity was kept solely at his home. I don’t believe it. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Leland parent Meri Maben, whose four children have attended the school, worried the recent case could affect the sacred student-teacher relationship. “I’m worried about the spillover effect on the way teachers and students view each other. That’s such a special relationship. It’s built on mutual respect and confidence. When something like this happens that relationship can get tarnished,” Maben said.

Maben, whose son Cory Hammon Maben is the school’s student body president, said she’s concerned students could become more fearful and suspicious of teachers.

“Our kids need to have an awareness of what is sexual harassment and what behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate. It’s the school’s responsibility to provide that learning for them and to provide a safe anonymous reporting place so that at the first suspicion these problems can be resolved rather than letting rumors and letting things go on for such a long period of time,” she said. “High school memories are very precious and this tarnishes the high school experience for some of the kids who go there.”

Parent Linda Salah, who expressed concerns with the way the district handled the Roske case in May, said she hoped the anonymous police tipper on the Jessee case was a student because it would show pressures put on the district to create the anonymous telephone tip line and begin sexual harassment training have paid off.

District official says pornography was not accessed at school
On Oct. 6, Setterlund sent a letter to parents informing them of the new arrest. He said Jessee, a photography teacher and yearbook adviser, had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the alleged charges of possession of child pornography.

“We want you to know that no indicting evidence was found at school and no Leland or SJUSD student pictures are part of the child pornography charges. The investigation began with an anonymous tip and the Leland administration collaborated with the San Jose Police Department and immediately followed District procedures,” Setterlund wrote.

Eric Hicks, a graduate of UC-Santa Barbara, is teaching Jessee’s photography classes and will remain as a long-term substitute. The letter also said that Mark Schwab will be the yearbook adviser. He’s also a graduate of UC-Santa Barbara.

“Mr. Jessee’s situation is a personnel matter and must be treated with confidentiality. The Human Resources Department will be contacting us as soon as the matter is resolved. Until then we will not be able to comment on Mr. Jessee’s status,” he wrote in the letter.

Setterlund said students are working with Project Cornerstone to build developmental assets, which empower s them to make correct choices, build self-esteem and develop leadership qualities. He also said the district-wide safety-tip line has been implemented.

Karen Fuqua, a spokeswoman for the district, said the school’s number-one priority is student safety and that Jessee was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 9 within 24 hours of learning from police detectives that he was being investigated for possession of child pornography.

Jessee, who could not be reached for comment, has been working for the district for approximately nine years, Fuqua said. He was yearbook adviser and taught photography class. In the past, he taught integrated science and science.

“The district is in full cooperation with the police department on the investigation,” Fuqua said. “We’ve taken every step that we can along the way and we’ll continue to do everything that we can to secure the safety of our students and continue their academic progress.”

Fuqua stressed Jessee’s arrest is not a school-based issue like the case of former Leland High School chemistry teacher Earl Roske who pleaded guilty in August to six felony sex charges and was sentenced last month to two years and eight months in state prison.

“We have filters on our Internet and you can’t get to pornographic sites,” Fuqua said. “The filters block out 97 percent of pornographic access… it wouldn’t be something that he could do at school.”

However Fuqua’s assertion that Jessee couldn’t access pornography at school has not been confirmed by San Jose Police at this time.

Since his arrest, Jessee has posted bail. “This is a very unhealthy crime but he would be keeping his job if he was anywhere else. This is a misdemeanor,” Fuqua said. “Being that he’s in public education and works with children it comes to the forefront. Our screening for our teachers is really high level.”

Fuqua praised Leland High School teachers for their credentials, dedication and commitment to teaching. “This is not a black mark against Leland. It’s a reflection of society. We have more than 1,700 teachers in the district that are so involved in children’s lives to help them learn and become productive members of society,” Fuqua said.

To report any inappropriate incident at school, call 1(866) 344-TELL. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call San Jose police Det. Robert Dillon at (408) 277-4102. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867).