A former area charter school employee is out of a job, after filing a sexual discrimination complaint against the school’s chancellor and a grievance with the assistant principal about her workload.
Cariños Charter School Assistant Principal Bernice Life fired former Food Service/Transportation/Medicaid director Deana Gallegos approximately two weeks after she filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against Chancellor Vernon Jaramillo. The termination also followed a grievance she filed complaining about her workload.
Life said she made the decision to terminate Gallegos, after the latter’s work performance continued to decline.
Gallegos left, with pay, 15 days before the termination took effect.
Gallegos claims Jaramillo engaged in the harassing behavior on two separate incidents in a one-week span.
The first instance occurred on Aug. 11 and the second, Aug. 18.
According to the statement of harm Gallegos filed with her complaint, the alleged harassment started with Jaramillo complimenting her work.
“On August 11, 2017, Mr. Jaramillo called me into his office and said I was doing a really great job and he was proud of me and loved me and kept thanking me and gave me a side hug,” she wrote. “He then gave me a front tight hug and started rubbing my back and started kissing my cheek. On August 18, 2017, as I was leaving for the day, he caught me and said he was proud of me again and once more pulled me close to him. He wanted to stay hugging, but I pulled back and said ‘Bye, Mr. Jaramillo.’ As of August 29, 2017, nothing has been done to correct the harassment.”
Gallegos also included an account of Jaramillo’s alleged Aug. 21, inappropriate contact with one of the school’s 12-year-old female students.
According to the affidavit, the inappropriate contact included a pseudo-sexually charged conversation Jaramillo had with the student, in which he reportedly asked her if she had dreams about him, because he had dreams about her.
He also allegedly hugged the child, grabbed her buttocks and kissed her on the forehead.
Española Police Det. Manuel Romero said he decided not to pursue the case or send it to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office because the alleged victim gave an inconsistent account of the alleged abuse.
He also said he based his decision on statements made by two character witnesses, in support of Jaramillo. The only problem is, the two witnesses weren’t present during the alleged abuse.
According to Romero, the witnesses, two unidentified school employees, said Jaramillo’s office has a window that allows the occupants of the adjacent office to see his every move.
The witnesses’ statements prompted Romero to conclude Jaramillo couldn’t been left alone with the reported victim.
However, while Jaramillo’s office does have a window, there are blind spots that could prevent occupants of the adjacent room from seeing his every action.
The girl’s mother, who is a Mexican national, and goes by the name of Norma Carmona, said through an interpreter, she believes the police didn’t pursue the case because Jaramillo is using his influence with law enforcement to make the accusation disappear.
According to an initial report taken by Española Police Officer Peter Chavez, Jaramillo came in contact with the alleged victim, whom he called into his office, to talk about the school’s volleyball team or lack thereof.
Jaramillo would not comment about the incident or answer detailed questions, on the record, but in a prepared statement, he said the student, to whom she allegedly reported the incident, and Gallegos, are all “disgruntled” for some reason or another.
“The allegations made against me was (sic) from a disgruntled student,” he wrote in the prepared statement. “The allegation is false, fabricated and crafted in an attempt to damage my personal character through a form of retribution and for her personnel motives. I assume that this allegation was encouraged by other disgruntled former employees.”
Jaramillo returned to work Monday, after being on paid sick leave since some time around Aug. 22.
He went on leave shortly after Valdez filed a report with the Española Police Department and the Children, Youth and Families Department, accusing him of the inappropriate contact with the student.
Cariños Charter School Board member Leo Marquez confirmed Jaramillo was on paid leave, however, he declined to comment on either of the two accusations.