Patterson teacher, also the city’s mayor, accused of misconduct with student
Community members are calling for the mayor of Patterson, who is also a high school math teacher, to resign or be removed from his positions after police and the Patterson Joint Unified School District opened investigations into alleged inappropriate conduct with a student.
Dennis McCord was placed on paid administrative leave from Patterson High School in October after a student’s mother told the school she was concerned about her daughter’s communications with him on Snapchat.
After McCord said he received a bikini photo from the student, Principal Dave Smith reported the incident to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, which opened a since-closed investigation first reported by the Patterson Irrigator.
At a Patterson school board meeting Monday, board President Ryan Segoviano said McCord remains on leave while the district conducts an internal investigation into whether the teacher violated district policy.
“We are taking this matter seriously,” Segoviano read from a statement. “We want to reassure our community that we place the highest priority on student well-being and safety.”
He said he couldn’t comment further on the personnel matter but said the district is following state investigative procedures before determining what disciplinary action, if any, to take.
Investigation pace questioned
The lack of an answer Monday night was frustrating for Kandace Weyhrauch, a homeschooling mother who has been leading the public charge against McCord.
“In my opinion, it is not being made a priority, because it wouldn’t take two months to do this investigation,” Weyhrauch said. “The district is full of slimeballs.”
McCord has served on the City Council since 2014 and was elected mayor in November 2020. His LinkedIn profile says he began his teaching career at Patterson High at the start of the 2017-18 school year after transitioning from a computer science career.
Smith contacted law enforcement in October after a mother came to school and demanded to talk to McCord about interactions he’d had with her daughter, according to a police report.
Though the mother didn’t provide Smith with further details, she apparently confronted McCord in his classroom that same day.
During a follow-up conversation with Smith, McCord said the student — whom he tutored on campus — sent a photo of herself in a bikini after he added her to his Snapchat, according to the report.
“McCord did not provide any further details about the context in which the photo was received or whether he received any other photos from (the student),” the report said.
Findings contradict teacher’s claim
McCord told Smith he deleted the photo immediately after he got it and blocked the student. But according to information obtained from Snapchat via search warrant, investigators found McCord responded to the image, saying “nice” and “wish I was there.”
The Sheriff’s Office closed its investigation last month without bringing charges against McCord, citing insufficient evidence.
Weyhrauch said even if McCord didn’t do anything illegal, he violated enough school district policies to justify his firing. The policies include telling students about his personal life, contacting students for noneducational reasons and connecting with them via social media.
The board declined to comment about specific policies.
About 30 people were in the audience for the school board meeting, and around half a dozen adults gave statements related to McCord. Of the parents who spoke, Weyhrauch said, only one was a parent of the Patterson school district, while the rest were homeschoolers.
Some expressed their own concerns about keeping children safe, and most read statements on behalf of Patterson High School students who had experiences with McCord that made them uncomfortable.
Weyhrauch printed off statements students sent to her and gave them to parents to read because public comment is limited to three minutes per person.
“I would say he’s creepy”
Statements from students and recent graduates made similar claims. They said they felt uncomfortable when McCord would seem to look at their bodies, stand too close or even touch their hands. They also said McCord would make comments about girls’ appearances, ask about their boyfriends or tell stories about his sex life.
Multiple students said McCord’s behavior felt weird but didn’t think they could come forward about it at the time.
“Once in a while, I would say he’s creepy, but I wouldn’t go anymore into it,” read one statement provided to The Modesto Bee. “After I graduated, I never looked back, but once I saw it all over social media, I felt I had to speak up.”
Some current and former students said they dismissed his behavior, but others wrote that their attempts to report McCord to the school went ignored.
Weyhrauch also wants McCord to step down or be recalled as mayor. She said McCord was not at the last City Council meeting, which she attended, and the council did not address the topic because it wasn’t on the agenda..
She planned to try again at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
A photo appears to show McCord at a City Council special session Monday night on redistricting. He could could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.
