Chico State University sought to fire former biology professor David Stachura over allegations of dishonesty, sexual harassment and retaliation, but dropped the charges last month in exchange for him resigning from a contract that would have barred him from ever working in the California State University system again. We agreed to do it. This is from the EdSource show.
In exchange for his resignation, Stachura dismissed several pending appeals, including appeals to the state Department of Civil Rights, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the California State University Office of the President, according to the documents.
Stachura's attorney, Kasra Parsad of Santa Rosa, did not respond to messages Tuesday.
Chico State investigated Stachura again last year after EdSource reported that a previous investigation in December 2022 concluded that Stachura had an inappropriate relationship with a student that included sex in his office and that court records showed Stachura had threatened to kill two professors. I started doing it. We cooperated with the university's investigation into this matter.
In two separate investigations, the university found that Stachura was untruthful about his relationship with the student and retaliated against two professors who cooperated in investigating the matter, according to newly released records obtained under state public records laws. .
The document explains that his court testimony last year, when the university sought and won a workplace violence restraining order against Stachura, was inconsistent with other statements about Stachura's relationship with the student.
“There were a number of significant, inconsistent or misleading statements by Dr. Stachura throughout the evidence,” according to the report.
“It is clear from Dr. Stachura’s inconsistent responses that he is changing his statements regarding his relationship with (students) to suit his needs at any given moment,” said Scott Lynch, director of labor relations for the university. was written in August. Report of 24, 2023.
A separate investigation found that Stachura retaliated against two professors who cooperated with the sex investigation.
Title IX investigator Gloria Godinez wrote in a 45-page report dated Aug. 24, 2023, that Stachura said the two professors were “going against him,” and that Stachura called them “f—— bitches.” She 'hated' them and 'frequently lashed out at the investigation.'
Professors described Stachura often glaring at them, playing loud music that could be heard through office walls, and acting out of position in meetings. Another witness told investigators that Stachura talked about “being a troll, that sucks.”
“Stachura took every possible opportunity to discredit professors,” Godinez wrote.
A settlement agreement between Stachura and Chico State calls for the university to reject a court claim that Stachura must pay more than $64,000 in legal fees to defend a biology instructor who sued him for defamation last year. A judge dismissed the lawsuit last year and ruled that Stachura must cover legal costs. “The university will not enforce the judgment,” the agreement states.
A workplace violence injunction issued last year by a Butte County Superior Court judge banning Stachura from the university for three years remains in place. Stachura appealed the order to the state's 3rd District Court of Appeals in Sacramento. No date has been set for oral arguments, according to court records. The parties agreed to abide by any decision made by the Court of Appeals.
The university also removed 5,466 pages of investigation and disciplinary documents from Stachura's personnel file and will respond to requests for recommendations or verification of employment by providing only dates of employment, salary and position.
“Chico State reached this agreement after careful consideration and consultation with CSU,” spokesman Andrew Staples said in an email Tuesday. “This agreement immediately puts an end to long-standing personnel issues and is the best path forward for the university and campus community.”
The agreement also made clear that Stachura would never teach in the 23-campus CSU system again. Stachura agreed “not to apply for or accept employment on any campus of the University of California or its auxiliary institutions,” the document states. “Stachura will be terminated if the University or its auxiliary inadvertently offers Stachura a position, (or) if Stachura violates this Agreement by accepting a position with the University or its auxiliary.”