California Teacher Fired for Harassment Rehired Despite State Findings, Investigation Reveals

Jason Agan was a familiar face at Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, California. Since the school opened in 2001, the gregarious teacher had become a campus fixture, running student government, organizing pep rallies and prom, and teaching AP calculus. Some students saw him as a mentor—even a second father—while others felt uncomfortable with his behavior.

According to interviews with 14 graduates, many of whom he taught, Agan frequently touched students in ways that made them uneasy. This included hugging and massaging shoulders, as well as enforcing the dress code by singling out girls whose shorts were too short. By 2018, after years of whispers, at least 11 students and one parent submitted written complaints about his conduct to school administrators.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District took action, suspending Agan without pay in January 2019 as it moved to fire him. Agan fought the decision, but an independent state panel convened to hear his case ruled him “unfit to teach” later that year. Though the panel’s finding ended his career at Rodriguez High, it did not address whether he could continue teaching elsewhere in California.

Over the next three years, Agan was hired at two additional schools. During this time, the state issued a one-week suspension of his teaching license for his misconduct at Rodriguez High. Then, new allegations surfaced: an eighth grader at his second school accused him of unwanted touching, according to school records.

Critically, the state’s teaching credentialing agency did not inform Agan’s subsequent employers or the parents of his students about the full extent of his prior misconduct. In a 2017-18 yearbook quote, Agan stated his goal was to “make RHS a place where all students can feel comfortable and safe.” Yet the school district fired him in 2019 for sexually harassing students.

Now 47, Agan has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Reporters attempting to reach him via phone, email, and certified mail received no response. He previously denied any sexual motivation in his interactions with students.