This story was first published in the Post’s print edition on May 14. Another media outlet will take stories that have appeared previously in the Post, re-write them, and present them as news. Please don’t support that media outlet. They’re engaging in plagiarism.
BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
A jury has ruled against a former Palo Alto High School robotics coach who said she was bullied, insulted and undermined because she’s a woman and a lesbian.
The jury sided with the Palo Alto Unified School District on May 12 after a trial that looked back at Kathy Krier’s tumultuous nine-week tenure in fall 2018.
Krier, 63, complained about a group of parent boosters who raised money for the team and encouraged students to complain about her because she was part of a “far-left social justice warrior agenda.” “A woman can’t do this job,” a booster allegedly said at her first meeting. Krier said students destroyed her gay pride flag and resisted her attempts to improve safety and diversity on the team.
“I know the district has a non-discrimination policy, but it seems like it was just on paper,” Krier testified on April 9 at the Old Courthouse in San Jose.
District on defense
In the district’s defense, attorney Mark Davis asked witnesses if they were motivated by Krier’s gender or sexual orientation. Parents, students and district leaders testified that they had high hopes for Krier. But she shut down the lab without notice or expla-nation, threatening the team’s efforts to have a successful season.
Student Lawrence Chang said Krier saw herself as a rule enforcer, immediately banning super glue and food in the lab.
Krier said power saws needed kill switches and wouldn’t let students use extension cords, the day before 65 recruits were coming in to the lab.
Stressed out students
Students were stressed because they felt like they needed to put in hundreds of hours to be competitive, Chang said.
By mid-September, Krier was yelling at students and making new rules every day, Chang said.
“It felt sadistic in a way,” he said.
Students complained to former Principal Adam Paulson, signed a petition and spoke out at a board meeting on Oct. 9, 2018. Krier was escorted out of her classroom two days later.
Didn’t need to resign
Former Deputy Superintendent Karen Hendricks said Krier was placed on leave so the district could investigate complaints by students that she yelled, used threatening language, unloaded personal information and didn’t explain changes to the program.
“There were some themes that were appearing in the complaints,” Hendricks testified on April 15.
Krier was understandably upset about going on leave, but she didn’t have to quit teaching computer science, Hendricks said. Krier’s mental health was an issue in the trial, which was held from April 8 to 17 with Judge William Monahan at the Old Courthouse in San Jose.
Dr. James Armontrout said Krier’s time at Paly contributed to a suicide attempt and a lack of motivation.
Davis pointed out that Krier has PTSD from being in New York City on 9/11, had 18 different jobs between 2002 and 2013 and spent over $700 a month on cannabis.
What she wanted
Krier wanted the district to pay her at least $1.1 million. She said she had to give up a tenured position and a rent-controlled apartment to move from Berkeley to Palo Alto, and she can’t find a new job.
Armontrout said resolving the case will likely be helpful for Krier’s mental health, no matter what the outcome is.
District spokeswoman Lynette White wished Krier well and said she’s pleased with the jury’s decision, “which affirms PAUSD’s longstanding commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful, and equitable workplace for all employees.”
Nice background check.
Whoever was responsible for the hiring should be fired.
From 2018? That’s a whole lot of anger to be holding on to for so many years. No wonder she has issues. She should spend her time getting help, not suing people.
People are free to disagree with the lawsuit or with decisions made by the district. But comments calling for people to be fired or mocking someone as “having issues” are not constructive and do not help the community move forward.
None of us knows the full story behind years of conflict, and it is not up to online commenters to decide who deserves punishment or ridicule. Adults should be modeling respectful disagreement for students, not encouraging behavior that humiliates, intimidates, or damages others.
We can discuss difficult topics without descending into cruelty.
I agree 100% Sigrun. I have also found that your plea will go unheard by some and might even invite humiliating responses. Keep trying, however.
Should have never formed a selective “club” using school facilities and equipment without offering the program or course to all students interested. I already know the District is challenged with finding qualified Industrial/Engineering/Manufacturing/Technology Instructors as those with these credentials often find a much more lucrative career in the private sector. Those that do get hired, in most cases, are gone within a year or two after realizing they cannot afford a home or raise a family with the salary offered. The District is running out of options and it won’t be long before programs are just shut down and revitalized with” virtual shop” 3D printers and computers for simulations.
Unfortunate that this dragged on for what was a predictable outcome.
I remember from several years before Krier, when there were no tryouts and over 100 applicants each year. You’d have one upperclassman or parent volunteer trying to teach 10 students how to use a machine. There were not nearly enough machines, space or coaches to support a team of 100+ students. It was a miserable experience for everyone and actually became a safety issue.
In all this time, PAUSD never said, “we need to put more resources into this program so that all students can safely participate”.
So you can say that the robotics program should never have done tryouts, but it was clear the alternative was also unacceptable. Everything fell on the coach, parent volunteers and student leadership. We did our best to create a program that served as many students as humanly possible, but safety had to remain the top priority.
It’s crazy some people call parents and students sexist and elitist when there is nothing for them to gain by making the robotics team exclusive. The tryouts are out of necessity because PAUSD has no interest in supporting the program.