By dedicating their last game of the season to their head coach,
players of the Sobrato varsity football team showed their support
of Jeff Patterson, who wasn
’t at the game in Fortuna because he is on voluntary leave from
his job as Sobrato math teacher in the wake of an accusation of
improper conduct with a female student.
By dedicating their last game of the season to their head coach, players of the Sobrato varsity football team showed their support of Jeff Patterson, who wasn’t at the game in Fortuna because he is on voluntary leave from his job as Sobrato math teacher in the wake of an accusation of improper conduct with a female student.
Police are investigating if Patterson picked up a 17-year-old girl who attends Sobrato High School and had oral sex with her in his car on Friday, Nov. 4 after her father reported the incident to police on Tuesday. The father said his daughter had forged a note to leave her sixth period class at Patterson’s urging last week and was picked up by the coach at a trailer park. After the two traveled to the Morgan Hill UPS Store, the student allegedly performed oral sex on Patterson while his car was parked on the side of the road.
Patterson, who the dispatch report says is approximately 31 years old, has not been arrested or charged with any crimes. Calls to Patterson’s house in Hollister were not returned.
The football team’s support echoes what many students and parents, who were unaware of the charges until questioned by The Times Thursday, say they feel. Students and parents contacted asked not to be identified.
A female sophomore student at Sobrato said she had not heard anything on campus about the football coach, but she said she did not believe the accusation could be true.
“There’s no way,” she said.
Sobrato parents contacted by telephone also said they had not heard anything about the incident. School officials were aware of the report on Wednesday, but refused to comment because of personnel and privacy issues.
The Gilroy Dispatch, the Times’ sister paper, printed an article on the investigation and allegations Thursday.
Though word of the incident apparently had not spread at Sobrato High School, at least some Live Oak students had heard of the investigation. One parent, who also declined to be identified, visited The Times office Thursday to purchase a Dispatch. He said he had learned of the investigation that morning from his son who attends Live Oak High School.
Though the attitude of the Sobrato students and parents contacted were supportive of Patterson and skeptical of the allegation, the incident still may have an impact on the school climate.
“Even if the story is proven false, which we hope it is, it’s an awful thing for a student to have said about a teacher,” said one parent. “Why would you do something like that? And how is this going to affect everyone? Something like this just doesn’t go away.”
Another parent disagreed.
“I think the staff will be ultra-aware of potential situations like these, but I think even if this is true, the school has too much positive going for it,” she said. “It’s not going to ruin the school. The kids and the teachers started the school from scratch, and they won’t let it go down. There is a closeness, a really good atmosphere on the campus.”
The District Office and district schools were closed Friday in observance of Veteran’s Day, but Superintendent Alan Nishino said Wednesday that the district is committed to providing a safe school environment for its students, while also protecting the rights and privacy of its employees.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
