Vacaville High will unlock its gates and open its doors to more than 2,000 students for the first day of the 2026-27 school year on Thursday. Three teachers will not be on hand to greet them, however, They remain on paid leave as police investigate concerns about inappropriate camera use by staff.

The cameras in question are in the school’s weight room and an adjacent coach’s office. Ask any staff member about the purpose of the cameras and the popular response is they were installed for surveillance because the school is frequently vandalized. You would think police would know that.

If that were true, police could cite reports of malicious mischief to alleviate any concerns about the cameras being used inappropriately. They could have recommended the school post signs to alert students to the presence of the cameras and warn students that they could inadvertently be filmed.

That would surely make students think twice before undressing in the weight room or office. And it is well known that students change clothes in the weight room and office as if they were in locker rooms with the pretense of privacy. You have to wonder how many parents are even aware of that.

They would surely like to know if the cameras were purchased by the school district and approved to be installed in the weight room and coach’s office. They also would like to know if anyone in any position of responsibility has checked the tapes to ensure there is nothing remotely inappropriate.

Heck, they would just like to know who has the tapes and who is watching them. Police apparently had just cause in having a judge sign a warrant to search the home of a teacher who also happens to be the head football coach. And the office adjacent to the weight room just happens to be his.

The football team has been practicing without him and it is likely an interim head coach will be announced before the Aug. 28  opener at Atwater. There is little reason to believe the investigation will conclude by then. Police cannot afford to rush with three careers and the safety of students at stake.

As it is now, Vacaville High will be without three physical education teachers on Thursday. In addition  to the head coach, the other teachers on leave are the head coach’s wife and an assistant coach who shares the office adjacent to the weight room. Who knows when or if any of them will return.

And the assistant coach is also facing allegations or providing and/or selling steroids to students.  That explains why one person with knowledge of the investigation said this ordeal could “stain” the school for years to come. Therein lies the quandary of deciding who is to blame and for how much. 

Start with the question of if the three teachers should be fired or asked to resign. At the very least, they have contributed to a lack of institutional control at the school. For anyone to know there is a room in which students can be filmed as they are changing clothes and do nothing is indefensible.

This is not a freshman boys basketball coach being fired for his proclivity for profanity. This is not a football player being sent home from a summer camp after marijuana was found in his belongings. This is not the varsity boys soccer team forfeiting for having a 20-year-old player. This is far worse.

The three teachers have also contributed to a culture of compliance. The military once had a policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” At Vacaville High, it is “Don’t Ask or Else.” Staff members learn they have to go along to get along. They learn to look the other way – and smile for the cameras.