A California educator fired for sexually harassing students has continued to work in classrooms across the state, highlighting systemic failures and a lack of transparency within the state’s teacher licensing agency, according to an investigation by KQED and ProPublica.
Jason Agan, 47, was a long-time teacher at Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield. Since the school opened in 2001, Agan was a prominent figure on campus, teaching AP calculus and leading student government. However, a pattern of behavior emerged involving unwanted physical contact with students.
Interviews with 14 graduates of Rodriguez High revealed that Agan touched students in public in ways that made them uncomfortable, including hugging and massaging their shoulders. Students also reported that Agan was fixated on enforcing the dress code, specifically targeting female students whose shorts were deemed too short.
By 2018, at least 11 students and one parent submitted written complaints to school administrators. These complaints included allegations that Agan massaged a student’s neck beneath her hair and took a student’s phone out of her back pocket while she was taking a test. In March 2018, a parent also complained after Agan wore a shirt to school that used the Pi symbol to spell out Pimp
.
Following these reports, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District took steps to fire Agan in January 2019, suspending him without pay. In November 2019, an independent panel convened by the state unanimously deemed Agan unfit to teach
, concluding that the likelihood of recurrence was high and that he had failed to exercise good judgment.
Systemic Gaps in Credentialing
Despite the district’s findings and the panel’s decision, Agan was not barred from teaching in California. The investigation by KQED and ProPublica found a pattern of inaction and delays within the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), the state’s educator licensing agency.
A review of available records from 2019 through 2025 showed that the state did not revoke the professional licenses of at least 67 educators after school districts determined they had committed sexual harassment or other sexual misconduct. Of those, at least 14 were rehired by other schools, and at least 12, including Agan, remain in the education field.
The agency’s disciplinary process is characterized by a lack of transparency. While the CTC notes when a teacher has been disciplined on its public database, it does not disclose the reasons for the discipline. This differs from other California licensing bodies for doctors, nurses, police officers, and lawyers, which make the reasons for disciplinary actions accessible. At least 12 other states, including Florida, Washington, and Oregon, provide similar transparency for teachers.
If our job as teachers is to keep children safe, we have to be held accountable for things we do that could harm them.
Alicia DeRollo, former commissioner on California’s teacher licensing agency
Anita Fitzhugh, a spokesperson for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, stated that the agency automatically revokes credentials for sexual criminal offenses, but not necessarily for district-determined sexual misconduct. She noted that the state Legislature determines which types of misconduct trigger automatic revocation.
A Pattern of Rehiring
Because the state’s database did not disclose the details of Agan’s firing or the ongoing investigation, he was able to secure new employment. In May 2020, Agan applied for a position at Ephraim Williams College Prep Middle School, a charter school in Sacramento. At the time, the state had not yet issued a decision on his credentials.
In his application, Agan acknowledged he had been fired after being accused of inappropriately touching students on the shoulders during class
, but he argued his actions were intended as encouragement. He began teaching at the middle school that fall.
It was not until May 2021 that the state licensing agency issued a decision, suspending Agan’s license for seven days. This suspension was marked by a red flag icon on the state website, the only visible sign of his disciplinary history.
In September 2021, an eighth-grade student at the Sacramento school reported that Agan had touched her lower back and her shoulder. The student’s mother expressed concern over how Agan had been vetted, later telling reporters that the education system seemed to protect him.
Agan eventually left the Sacramento school and, by August 2022, began teaching at Clifford School in Redwood City, which serves students from pre-K through eighth grade. Agan received tenure at the school in 2024.
Wendy Kelly, deputy superintendent at the Redwood City School District, stated that the district relies on the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to put the best people in the classroom
and that she trusted the CTC’s decision to reinstate the teacher.
Agan did not respond to multiple requests for interviews or questions sent via email and certified mail. In previous records obtained by news outlets, he denied any sexual motivation in his actions, telling the independent panel that he was offering support and encouragement rather than massaging students.