Merced City Schools superintendent accused of sexual harassment, unwanted touching

A civil complaint filed this month by an administrator at Merced City School District is accusing superintendent Richard “Al” Rogers of sexual harassment.

The complaint was filed March 8 in Merced County Superior Court — three days after Rogers was placed on paid leave by the district, pending an internal investigation.

The Sun-Star has a policy of not identifying alleged victims of sexual harassment, and is not identifying the plaintiff.

In the complaint the woman said she was asked by Rogers to work for the district in spring 2020. Not long after she started, she was subjected to harassment that included — but was not limited to — demeaning comments, unwanted touching, unwanted sexual advances and other unacceptable forms of behavior.

Rogers, reached on Thursday by the Sun-Star, denied the allegations, saying he expects to be exonerated. “Honestly I didn’t do any of those things and I’m heartbroken by the allegations and all of that,” Rogers told the Sun-Star, “But also I have to trust the process — the investigation — and so forth will bear out my innocence, honestly, and I can get back to work no expectations.”

District officials on Thursday said in a statement they had just learned of the complaint and have not yet reviewed it. The district has hired an independent attorney to represent the district.

“We expect the investigation to be fair, thorough, and as prompt as possible. The board will be following all legally required protocols as it moves through this process.” Birdi Olivarez-Kidwell, the board’s president, said in a statement.

Additional details from complaint

The complaint described the interactions between the plaintiff and Rogers as a “a Jekyll and Hyde relationship.”

“Plaintiff had to tiptoe around Rogers and put up with his inappropriate conduct just to avoid his abusive behavior. The more she set boundaries and the more push back she gave to his aggressions, the more he came down on her. He was constantly looking for affirmation that his conduct was not offensive. And when Plaintiff did not provide it, she paid the price,” the complaint states.

The complaint also alleges Rogers “attempted to rape” the plaintiff, although the document does not go into specifics about that incident.

Rogers allegedly made it a regular habit to harass and torment the plaintiff due to her gender. He also allegedly continued to text and call the plaintiff after she complained.

“She is absolutely in fear of this man. He attempted to rape Plaintiff and kept her in a state of fear and compliance,” the complaint states.

The complaint says the woman has no intention of going back to Merced City School District, and incident that occurred in February was said to be the final straw.

According to the complaint, Rogers called the plaintiff and his secretary in for a meeting, yelling at them “in a demeaning way.” They attempted to calm Rogers, but he got angry and screamed he “doesn’t need this (expletive) bull (expletive).”

The plaintiff walked away, saying she wouldn’t be spoken to in that way. According to the complaint states her “professional reputation at MCSD has been destroyed by all of this and she experiences anxiety anytime she thinks of returning to work at MCSD.”.

Rogers: “I have to trust the process”

Despite the allegations made against Rogers, he remains steadfast that he’s innocent. He also said many people have reached out to offer their support.

“The community has actually been really supportive, and that was not something I expected, and I’ve been as is appropriate really quiet about the whole process, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

“I feel like there are other motivations probably behind some of the claims, but I don’t know,” he said. “Again, I have to trust the process, but the community has been calling with an outpouring of support and encouragement, ‘don’t give up,keep fighting the good fight, we appreciate all the improvements that you’re making for the schools, and we want you to come back,’ you know, those are the messages that have been coming from multiple sources. It has been really encouraging and humbling.”

The complaint is the latest legal action taken by an employee against the district. A elementary school counselor recently sued a former principal in the district for allegedly sexually harassing her with “stalker-like behavior.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 2:04 PM.