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A Clifford School math teacher is no longer in the classroom after parents learned he had been fired from a previous job over allegations that he sexually harassed students.
Jason Agan, who taught seventh and eighth grade math and algebra at the Redwood City TK-8 school since 2022, was the subject of a May 12 investigation by KQED and ProPublica. The investigation found that a Fairfield school fired Agan in 2019 after female students said he gave unsolicited hugs and shoulder massages, made inappropriate comments and called out girls for wearing shorts that were too short.
The Redwood City School District has not said whether Agan is on leave, disciplined or fired. But district spokesperson Jorge Quintana said that as of May 13, a substitute teacher would be filling in for Agan, “moving forward.”
Parents at Clifford, which enrolls about 660 students, are now questioning how Agan was hired and whether the district did enough to address their children’s concerns before the article was published. They say their children had experienced issues with Agan, too.
Brie Hanni said her daughter sent a letter to school officials earlier this year with complaints about Agan berating students. Hanni also heard reports of Agan massaging and putting his hands on students’ shoulders at Clifford.
“It was not a good environment for learning math,” Hanni said. “It makes me wonder, what else should we know?” adding, “It just begs the question, do we need to do a more thorough investigation to ensure that everyone on campus truly is safe?”
In an email to families on May 12, Clifford Principal Kristy Jackson said that “to date, I have not had any concerns about this employee (Agan) related to student safety.”
“In general, if concerns arise at any point about any employee’s professionalism or interactions with students, we address them promptly and through established district procedures,” she said.
Agan, a teachers’ union representative for Clifford, did not respond to a request for comment from this news organization.
The investigation by ProPublica and KQED exposes a gap in California’s teacher discipline system that may have limited what Redwood City officials could see when Agan was hired.
A state panel deemed Agan “unfit to teach” after Rodriguez High School in Fairfield suspended him without pay in January 2019, according to disciplinary records obtained by ProPublica. The decision was not shared publicly and only applied to his employment in that school district, according to ProPublica. California’s teacher licensing agency determines whether there would be additional punishment, such as barring him from teaching in the state’s public schools.
Clifford parent Josh Levinson noted that Agan’s behavior at the school seems to have followed the same pattern described in the article.
“When someone’s deemed unfit to teach, that should be a massive red flag, not something brushed aside because the database says they’re technically employable,” Levinson, whose son is a seventh grader at Clifford, told the school board during a May 13 meeting.
Another parent told the board that the community’s “trust (in the school district) is shattered” following the revelation.
Redwood City district board President David Weekly explained that at the time of Agan’s hiring in 2022, there were no state policies in place that would allow districts to see why a teaching credential was revoked. In 2025, Assembly Bill 2534 mandated that school districts inquire about credible complaints from prior districts and that those prior districts disclose those complaints.
“In the past, that was largely through reference checks with prior employers, but we now have additional visibility from these more recent tools,” Weekly said, noting that the district has launched an investigation into Agan’s conduct in his current role at Clifford. “I’m grateful for the deep and abiding passion I see for this matter … from so many parents to hold us accountable for doing the right thing by students. … We want to ensure that our children are safe and that those entrusted with our kids’ safety do the right thing.”
Quintana said that the district follows all legally required hiring and screening procedures, including fingerprinting, Department of Justice background checks, credential verification, professional reference checks, and reviews information available through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
“We understand this situation has been upsetting and concerning for families,” according to a statement provided by Quintana. “Student safety and well-being remain our highest priorities, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
Despite Agan no longer being in the classroom, Hanni said she doesn’t think this is the end of the story.
“It’s a Band-Aid,” she said. “I very much want to know what else is planned for this individual. … We need to know further down the road what will happen, and really that speaks to the safeguards that ought to be in place should anything of this nature arise again.”
To report suspected misconduct by any employee in the Redwood City district, go to rcsdk8.net/our-district/policies-procedures/report-an-incident.
Video of May 13 school board meeting:
