A beloved El Dorado Hills principal who was terminated without explanation said he is planning to sue the school district that fired him.
Paul Burke, the Oak Ridge High School principal, is planning to sue the El Dorado Union School district for making false allegations against him, including sexual harassment claims.
Burke claims he first heard of the allegations from the alleged victim herself.
"She came into my office that day and said: ‘I need to tell you what just happened to me,’" Burke said. "She said to me: do you know who supposedly harassed me? And she said: ‘You.’”
The alleged victim is a teacher at Oak Ridge High School. In the complaint she is unnamed to protect her identity.
Burke claims the teacher repeatedly denied she was ever harassed by him but he was still placed on administrative leave in November.
Burke says a school staff member tried to coerce the alleged victim into confessing Burke sexually harassed her. He claims the staff member went as far as to tell the teacher she had knowledge that the teacher told someone else on July 2015 that Burke hugged her and made her feel uncomfortable. The complaint claims the teacher responded she wasn't even on campus that month.
“Folks involved, instead of stopping, began to create additional lies and allegations,” Burke said.
He said what followed were allegations that he had used profanity on campus, had anger issues, and had requested a teacher change a student's grade.
Many parents and students have been standing by Burke but two nights ago the El Dorado Union School Board voted unanimously to release him from his contract.
Burke said he's holding on to hope that he could be reinstated as principal.
“It would certainly be something I'd be open to,” Burke said.
He plans to sue the District for $2.5 million in damages.
The El Dorado Union High School District superintendent told ABC10 he could not discuss the reasons why Principal Burke was terminated because personnel issues are confidential.
But the superintendent said the District is considering releasing the findings of a third-party investigation.