As a former BVSD School Board President, I am shocked by the current Board’s flippant decision to terminate beloved teacher Rebecca (Becky) Roetto despite the decision of an Administrative Law Judge recommending that she be reinstated. The School Board acted at a Special Meeting on June 20th, where none of the 30 or so citizens supporting Ms. Roetto were allowed to speak.

Certainly, Becky deserved to be disciplined for drawing a few cartoon penis doodles on graduating senior documents during the last week of school in May of 2024. At the time, she was reprimanded by the principal and signed a letter of expectation for her file. That letter was the first negative note in her file, which is otherwise full of glowing reports. Becky was then returned to the classroom and even given the principal’s Our Community Cares Award for “providing a safe space for students and staff.”

However, in August of 2024, Becky was abruptly put on administrative leave. Now, she has been terminated — an action which is arbitrary and capricious for a teacher with more than 20 years of service and a clean personnel file prior to this incident.

Could it be that Becky’s record of testifying against BVSD in support of female students who had been sexually assaulted could explain this dangerously disproportionate punishment?

In terminating Ms. Roetto, the School Board chose to disregard the well-reasoned decision of Administrative Law Judge Daniel K. Tom. After a three-day trial, Hearing Officer Tom issued a 22-page opinion with Conclusions of Fact (accepted by BVSD), Conclusions of Law and his Recommended Decision that Becky be reinstated.

Most people are as unfamiliar with the Administrative Hearing process as I was. Despite being a retired attorney, I had never been part of one until I testified for Becky’s, who’s been a friend for 25+ years. As a witness, I was sequestered from attending the rest of the trial; thus, facts here are as told to me by people who were in the courtroom.

Each side was allowed to have 10 witnesses. Becky’s attorneys called all 9 of 10 scheduled witnesses (one could not testify due to job responsibilities). Ms. Roetto testified, in addition to eight teachers, staff, community members and students.

In contrast, BVSD brought no students. No one directly involved in the incident — not a single recipient of the doodles — testified against Ms. Roettto. Their only witnesses were district administrators: the principal, the investigator and a human resources director. These individuals had roles after the fact, not during the incident itself. The evidence presented by BVSD contained a lot of hearsay, which made it into the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling, but likely wouldn’t be admitted if this matter gets to a civil courtroom.

Becky testified that her drawings, consisting of “two circles and an oval,” were not intended sexually and the doodles she drew are images pervasive in school buildings. Some doodles were embellished later by others and presented to the public by BVSD as if she had drawn them. Becky’s images were juvenile and immature, not sexual.

The judge also heard testimony from eight community members supporting Becky. These testimonies included students who requested and received the doodles, as well as parents who requested Ms. Roetto as their students’ teacher. The court also heard from teachers and staff about Ms. Roetto’s unwavering support of sexual assault victims and minority students. The witnesses all spoke about her professionalism, compassion and positive impact on the Fairview community.

The Judge evaluated all of this, weighed credibility, and concluded that BVSD failed to prove any of the four reasons given for termination. He ruled that the Human Resources department failed to follow its own policies in how it handled the investigation and the dismissal. He applied BVSD policies and Colorado law — and he found that dismissal was not justified.

When the School Board ignores that conclusion, it undermines the purpose of an independent process designed to protect both educators and the integrity of the system. BVSD is not outside the law, nor is the School Board. We need a Board willing to respect due process.

Linda Shoemaker is a former president of the BVSD Board of Education and a University of Colorado Regent Emerita.