SPUSD Assistant Superintendent: 'I Feel Bullied'

An assault claim against Assistant Superintendent Steve Seaford has left the school official feeling bullied, he said Wednesday. 

"I've spent a lot of time working with schools' anti-bullying policy. I never would’ve imagined that someone could use such a tactic to bully [me],'' Seaford said in a telephone interview with Patch.

The assistant superintendent of instructional services for was arrested Friday, after a parent disrupted the district office by aggressively spewing profanities, officials said. It was the last day of school for the parent's two children, as the family no longer lived in South Pasadena. The parent initiated a citizen's arrest after Seaford allegedly pushed the parent toward the door, trying to get him to leave, according to a police bulletin. As with typical police reports, the alleged victim, in this case the parent, was not identified. 

Seaford denies pushing the man, whom he said the district found had been lying about his residency for a while. If a child doesn't live in South Pasadena, the family must apply for an out-of-district permit. The school district is not issuing any more such permits. 

Friday was to be the last day for the two students in question. Although Seaford scheduled a meeting with the parent for Wednesday (Sept. 12), he came to the office last Friday, arguing for his children to stay in the district.

"Upon becoming aggressive and loud, I asked him to leave. It became apparent that he was not going to leave, so I left the office. That contributed to his leaving, but there was no pushing at all,'' Seaford said.

"He did not get what he wanted. He was very frustrated and chose to make this false accusation to police,'' he added.

Det. Richard Lee said the parent initiated a private person's arrest, claiming assault. Police arrived and administered a ticket to Seaford for a misdemeanor, with a mandatory court date, he said. 

Like a police officer's arrest, Lee explained, the district attorney will either file the case for prosecution, or choose not to file. 

"As educators we do whatever we can to try to respect a parent's concerns over our policies, but this is just incredible. I feel bullied,'' Seaford said.

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