The return of middle school Physical Education teacher Peter Colombo has been drawing attention district-wide — and with good reason.
According to the official website of the City of Palo Alto, Palo Alto Unified School District removed Colombo from a teaching position at Greene Middle School following sexual assault allegations against him in 2022. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the case was dropped in 2023 due to insufficient evidence.
According to public records, Colombo filed a $20 million lawsuit against the district, Colombo v. Palo Alto Unified School District et al. He alleged multiple claims, which were later narrowed to withholding exculpatory evidence and a lack of due process.
Colombo was reinstated as a P.E. teacher at Ellen Fletcher Middle School in August this school year. At the August 19 and September 16 Palo Alto Unified School District board meetings this year, community members voiced their discomfort with the decision. This discomfort has been met with little communication from the district.
The return of middle school Physical Education teacher Peter Colombo has been drawing attention district-wide — and with good reason.
A recent incident regarding Emily Ceresnak, a Fletcher student, was shared at the August 19 PAUSD board meeting. The 7th-grade student did not feel comfortable attending P.E. on the first day of class. Her mom, Karen Ceresnak, highlighted her daughter’s experience.
“When she [the student] went to the school mental health and wellness associate, she was questioned with, ‘How long do you plan on doing this?’, then followed up with, ‘You will get detention,’” Ceresnak said. “Instead of being supported, she was met with a raised, aggressive voice and was pressured to explain herself in front of Mr. Columbo when she asked to see her counselor.”
Learning of Colombo’s reinstatement, Fletcher parent Clark Barrett organized a petition in May urging PAUSD to reconsider its decision. According to Barrett, the petition gathered 175 signatures in just four days.
Barrett sent it to the school board, Don Austin and the Fletcher principal, who were unresponsive to the petition. He was then directed to the district’s HR Director, Herb Espiritu.
“I had a phone conversation with him [Espiritu], and he basically said that the decision’s been made [and] it’s final,” Barrett said. “I talked to several board members and they also said they were sort of personally empathetic, but that there’s nothing [the board] can do because there is this lawsuit.”
When schools stay silent, rumors spread, parents assume the worst, and students may start to wonder if their safety matters. We understand there are legal limits to what the administration can share. Still, privacy can be maintained without sacrificing trust and stability.
“Things are kind of broken,” Barrett said. “What I really wish is for someone to step up and show some compassionate leadership.”
We agree. Compassionate leadership does not require disclosing legal details. Even a brief acknowledgment of the situation would reassure many families and rebuild lost trust.
In a conversation with Palo Alto High School journalism, PAUSD Superintendent Don Austin shared the district’s approach to handling parent and student concerns.
“We have directed all families and students to the principal to discuss their unique questions or concerns,” Austin said. “I have complete confidence in the staff of Fletcher.”
When Anthro reporters reached out to Fletcher’s administration, they declined to comment. Although the Anthro staff does not have visibility on the conversations happening behind Fletcher’s closed doors, we hope students are being supported and given the resources they need.
Conversations behind closed doors are crucial to supporting students and parents, but with many people expressing discomfort, it’s clear that this issue extends beyond Fletcher’s campus.
While we acknowledge that the pending lawsuit is constraining PAUSD, it is essential that community members feel informed and not kept in the dark.