Paso Robles principal crashed district car over the summer. What happened?
In the aftermath of the then Paso Robles High School principal’s DUI arrest in November, rumors swirled online about her involvement in an earlier incident: a car crash over the summer involving a school district vehicle.
In a Nov. 11 news release, the school district confirmed that Megan Fletcher had been involved in a traffic incident while driving a district vehicle on her way to a work-related conference, and said the incident was reported to CHP.
“Fletcher was not charged with a hit-and-run as is being rumored,” the release said.
The release, however, did not include details about what happened, so The Tribune filed a public records act request with the Paso Robles school district for documents related to the crash.
The records showed that on June 17 — two days after the crash — the district received a complaint regarding the incident, which alleged that Fletcher had driven away from the scene of the crash while flashing a “peace sign” to the driver of the vehicle that was struck. The complainant also wondered whether Fletcher had been under the influence.
The district launched an investigation into the complaint, which found that while the accusation that Fletcher was in a crash in a district vehicle was true, there was no evidence she was drunk at the time.
Fletcher ultimately resigned her post following the DUI arrest on Nov. 10, receiving $40,000 in a departure agreement. She did not respond to a request for comment.
School district received complaint against former principal
According to partially redacted documents provided to The Tribune, district Superintendent Jennifer Loftus received an email on June 17 detailing a complaint against Fletcher. A more detailed complaint was filed June 19, documents showed.
The complaint accused Fletcher of making an “illegal U-turn in front of oncoming traffic on Highway 46” while driving a school district vehicle, allegedly striking the side of the complainant’s boat trailer, which the complainant’s son was towing at the time.
The crash occurred near the Highway 46-Highway 41 interchange, which was still under construction and had just opened with a new traffic pattern.
The complainant accused Fletcher of driving past her son after the incident while “giving a peace sign.” The complaint said the son recognized Fletcher as his former principal and called 911. The June 19 document said he tried catching up to Fletcher to get her insurance information but was unable to.
A CHP officer reportedly later arrived on scene.
The complaint also alleged that Fletcher didn’t own up to the crash until after the complainant posted about the incident in a public Facebook group, after which Fletcher friended the complainant and admitted she hit the vehicle.
The complaint said Fletcher later reported the incident to the CHP.
The initial email said the complainant had reason to believe Fletcher was under the influence at the time of the crash, stating they had received reports from two other people who had allegedly witnessed Fletcher driving recklessly in a school vehicle, though it was not clear when.
“I hope this incident is thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions are taken,” the complainant said in the June 19 letter. “This is extremely bizarre, reckless and unprofessional behavior for a high school principal.”
District investigates complaint against Fletcher
As part of its response to The Tribune’s public records request, the school district shared its response to the complaint, which included a summary of the district investigation’s findings.
According to the document, Assistant Superintendent Shauna Ames investigated the complaint between June 17 and Aug. 12, conducting interviews, examining emails and other correspondence, reading police reports and reviewing relevant district policies and regulations.
“The district conducted this investigation with a commitment to ensure that the well-being and rights of all parties are protected,” the document said. “Moreover, the district was committed to conducting a thorough and unbiased investigation into the allegations in order to understand what had occurred factually and to determine whether those facts constituted violations of policy or law.”
The document detailed four complaints lodged against Fletcher and the district’s findings for each accusation.
First, the district found that Fletcher did engage in unprofessional behavior related to the June 15 crash. The investigation confirmed Fletcher did perform an illegal U-turn while driving a district vehicle, the document said.
“Violating vehicle traffic laws is not permitted while driving a district vehicle,” the report said.
Second, the district could not substantiate the suspicion that Fletcher might be under the influence at the time of the crash, the document said.
The CHP report reviewed by the school district did not indicate any suspicion that Fletcher was drunk, and Fletcher denied being under the influence, the document said.
Third, the district found the allegation that Fletcher improperly fled the scene of the crash to be partially substantiated.
According to the document, Fletcher did not pull over immediately and passed the vehicle that she hit. She told the district that she pulled over when it was safe — as the area was under construction — but didn’t see the other vehicle after waiting between five and 10 minutes, the report said.
The district determined that the two vehicles were heading in opposite directions on the highway, with Fletcher driving east and the complainant’s son going west toward Paso Robles.
According to the document, the district determined that Fletcher did not immediately call district supervisors or law enforcement to report the incident, violating district policy, though the incident was not considered a hit-and-run.
That led into the district’s final finding — that Fletcher failed to report the incident to law enforcement in a timely manner.
According to the document, Fletcher did not report the collision until after she saw a Facebook post about it, violating school district policy.
“Following a thorough investigation, it has been confirmed that Principal Fletcher did, in fact, make contact with the boat trailer and did not adhere to district policy regarding the immediate reporting of vehicle accidents,” the document said. “Principal Fletcher also failed to follow proper traffic laws in this instance.”
The district declared that Fletcher would face administrative action in accordance with district policy. The corrective actions included “appropriate disciplinary measures” and a requirement that Fletcher would participate in the district’s driver training before operating school vehicles in the future.
It was unclear what the appropriate disciplinary measures consisted of.
District issues statement on documents received by The Tribune
The Paso Robles school district sent a statement to The Tribune on Monday afternoon, first addressing the terms of Fletcher’s resignation agreement, through which she received a $40,000 payout and will continue receiving health benefits through June.
“The district recognizes that members of the community are understandably curious and concerned, and that situations like this can raise questions without additional context,” the district wrote.
“With respect to the resignation agreement, it is important to note that agreements of this nature are a standard practice used to resolve employment matters efficiently and appropriately. The district evaluated multiple options and determined that a negotiated separation was in the best interest of the District. As required by law, the matter will be referred to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for its own review.”
The statement continued, further expanding upon the scope of the district’s investigation into the June complaint.
“When the district receives a complaint involving an employee, particularly one related to the use of a district vehicle, it is obligated to review the matter to determine whether district policies and procedures were followed,” it said. “In this case, the district’s internal review focused on whether proper protocols were followed after the incident and whether the specific conduct alleged in the complaint could be substantiated. “As reflected in the findings, some claims were substantiated while others were not. Where appropriate, corrective action was taken consistent with district policy.”
The district said it understood the community’s interest in the issue and wants to address misinformation — however, state law, California Education Code and federal privacy laws protect the confidentiality of public employees.
“As a result, school districts are legally prohibited from discussing individual personnel or disciplinary matters, including whether specific disciplinary actions were taken,” the district said. “The traffic incident itself was investigated by the California Highway Patrol, as traffic collisions and any determinations related to potential criminal conduct fall under the authority of law enforcement,” the district continued. “According to the CHP report, this incident was not considered a hit-and-run, and no further action was taken. “With respect to public questions about vehicle use, the employee was traveling in a district vehicle for work-related purposes, including attendance at a conference that began outside the area early the following morning. District policy permits such use.”
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