Jason Agan was a fixture at Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, California. The math teacher ran student government, organized pep rallies and prom, and taught AP calculus for nearly two decades. But students also complained about his behavior for years, saying he touched them in ways that made them uncomfortable, including hugging students and massaging their shoulders.

In 2018, at least 11 students and one parent submitted written complaints to school administrators about Agan's conduct, according to a joint investigation by KQED and ProPublica. The district issued two warnings before moving to fire him in January 2019, suspending him without pay. An independent panel convened by the state later deemed Agan "unfit to teach" — but that finding applied only to his employment at this single school district.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and education advocates say the case exposes a dangerous gap in California's teacher accountability system. Under current law, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing automatically revokes licenses only when educators are convicted of sexual criminal offenses — not when districts determine they committed sexual misconduct without criminal charges.

Alicia DeRollo, a former commissioner on California's teacher licensing agency, told KQED and ProPublica: "If our job as teachers is to keep children safe, we have to be held accountable for things we do that could harm them."

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat who has pushed for education reform, has argued that the current system puts bureaucratic procedure ahead of student safety. Advocates contend that parents and hiring districts receive no notification when a teacher has been flagged for misconduct at another school.

Child safety organizations have called for automatic license revocation whenever a district determines sexual harassment occurred, regardless of whether criminal charges were filed. They argue that the existing standard creates a two-tiered system where teachers with aggressive lawyers can return to classrooms while victims' families remain unaware of prior complaints.

What the Right Is Saying

Conservative critics and some teacher union representatives counter that expanding license revocation without criminal convictions risks trampling educators' due process rights. They note that Agan was never charged with a crime, and his defenders argue he believed his physical contact with students was supportive rather than inappropriate.

The California Teachers Association has maintained that teachers deserve a fair hearing process before losing their careers. Union officials have warned against automatic revocation based solely on district findings, which they say can be influenced by personnel disputes or student complaints that lack independent verification.

Some Republican legislators have expressed concern about the investigative findings but caution against creating a system where school districts wield unchecked power to destroy teaching careers without criminal evidence. They argue for stronger due process protections while acknowledging that students must be protected from inappropriate conduct.

What the Numbers Show

The KQED and ProPublica investigation identified at least 67 cases since 2019 in which California did not revoke educator licenses after school districts determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other sexual misconduct, according to available records reviewed by the news outlets.

Of those 67 educators: at least 14 were rehired by other schools, and of those, at least 12 — including Agan — still work in education as of the investigation. Agan was hired at two additional schools after his firing before being identified in this reporting.

The state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued Agan a one-week suspension of his teaching license for behavior at his original school. He faced another accusation of unwanted touching at his second school, involving an eighth grader, according to school records reviewed by reporters. The licensing agency did not inform later employers or parents of students about the full extent of what occurred at Rodriguez High.

California's teacher credentialing process requires a committee assessment for noncriminal misconduct cases. Agan has not been accused of a crime in connection with any of the allegations.

The Bottom Line

The case raises questions about information sharing between school districts and the state licensing agency. Under current practice, a district's determination that a teacher committed sexual harassment does not automatically trigger license revocation — leaving it to an administrative process that critics say moves too slowly and shares too little information with parents and future employers.

Anita Fitzhugh, a spokesperson for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, said in a written statement: "The Commission's authority balances protecting students as well as the legal rights of educators who have been accused but not convicted of specific crimes." She noted that the state Legislature determines which types of misconduct require automatic revocation.

Lawmakers in Sacramento may face renewed pressure to amend state law following these findings. Any legislative changes would need to balance student safety concerns against teacher due process protections — a tension likely to generate significant debate as the session continues.