East Bay principal resigns after investigator finds Grindr app used to pursue sex with student

"A high school principal in Alameda County has resigned as part of a settlement after a school district investigation found sufficient evidence that he used an online app to communicate with a former and current student about sex, once proposing a secret school tryst, public records show. Jonathan M. Fey, 54, who had worked at Amador Valley High School in the Pleasanton Unified School District since 2022, was notified Feb. 28 that he was being fired, following months on administrative leave."

"He appealed to an administrative law judge before accepting a $254,000 settlement last week that includes legal fees and back pay. The allegations made against me are false, Fey said in a written statement issued by a San Jose public relations firm. Fey's settlement and disclosure of the district's investigative findings come at a time when California school districts are facing a reckoning from lawsuits brought under a state law allowing victims to sue"

Jonathan M. Fey, 54, resigned from Amador Valley High School in the Pleasanton Unified School District as part of a settlement after a district investigation found sufficient evidence that he used an online app to communicate with a former and current student about sex and once proposed a secret school tryst. Fey was notified on Feb. 28 that he was being fired after months on administrative leave and appealed to an administrative law judge before accepting a $254,000 settlement covering legal fees and back pay. Fey issued a written denial of the allegations. The settlement arises amid widespread legal exposure for California districts under a state law expanding victims' ability to sue, with estimated costs reaching billions. Local outlets requested public records and the district urged parents to report any concerns.

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