Merced County school district investigated Chubon but failed to alert authorities
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Investigation into ex-Modesto principal
Former Roosevelt Junior High School Principal Brian Chubon was convicted of crimes against a minor.
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Documents show that Gustine Unified School District officials did not contact child protective services or law enforcement after conducting an internal investigation into reports of a suspicious relationship between former vice principal Brian Chubon and a minor student.
Chubon was convicted in January of felony statutory rape of a minor at Gustine High School in Merced County during the spring of 2022.
Charges were first filed against Chubon in November 2024 after the student came forward earlier that year, when Chubon was serving as assistant principal at Mark Twain Junior High School in Modesto. He was later promoted by Modesto City Schools to principal of Roosevelt Junior High in July 2025.
Following his conviction — resulting in a two-year probation sentence — Chubon no longer is employed by Modesto City Schools. His teaching credential has also since been revoked.
The investigation conducted by GUSD was prompted after Marisol Juarez, a human resources specialist and Title IX coordinator at the district, reported seeing Chubon and the student leave a school baseball game together in the spring of 2022. She said she expected they went their separate ways, but they returned to the game together.
According to investigation documents obtained by The Modesto Bee, Juarez said she was “shocked” by what she observed but did not witness any inappropriate touching or interaction. “I was so bothered by what I noticed that ... I shared what I had seen with (Superintendent Bryan Ballenger),” Juarez wrote in the investigation summary.
The district then consulted legal counsel for guidance and conducted interviews with those involved. That may have been a violation of California’s mandated reporting laws, which require individuals who work with children to report known or suspected abuse or exploitation to child protective services or law enforcement.
In response to The Bee and the Merced Sun-Star’s request for comment, attorneys for the district stated GUSD “had no information or evidence that would support a reasonable suspicion that Mr. Chubon engaged in child abuse or neglect toward any student.”
“At no time during Mr. Chubon’s employment did the Gustine Unified School District have any information about his conduct that would trigger a mandated report of child abuse or a report to the police,” wrote attorney Georgelle Cuevas.
District investigation
In one interview, a redacted individual — possibly a staff member — reported frequently seeing the student in Chubon’s office, addressing him by his first name. The individual also suspected the two were texting, noting that the student would often come looking for Chubon as soon as he returned to his office.
Another redacted interviewee said the student regularly asked to leave class to speak with Chubon.
In the interview with Chubon — conducted by Ballenger and Juarez — he said he was supporting the student because she was struggling and dealing with family.
He acknowledged that the student called him by his first name and that he would bring her into his office to help with college and financial aid matters. Chubon did not fully admit to meeting with her behind closed doors, and he denied any physical contact or communication with her outside of school.
Juarez provided him with the district’s professional standards policy and reminded him not to allow students to address him by his first name, to avoid meeting with students behind closed doors and to refer students seeking college assistance to a school counselor.
During the interview with the student, the student also denied any physical contact with Chubon and said he had not contacted her outside of school.
She stated that she was also getting help from the counselor regarding college, which Juarez said was “odd.” The student admitted to calling Chubon by his first name, but said she called another staff member by first name as well.
When asked about the baseball game interaction, the student said she was there to support her friends and she went with Chubon to get an ice pack.
“She stated and defended that he was just a positive role model for her that would help her. She even stated that her family was aware of his supportiveness,” reads the report.
Like Chubon, the student was instructed to maintain clear boundaries — not using first names, avoiding physical contact and being alone together. She was also directed to seek college support through a counselor.
The report concludes by noting that the student’s parents were contacted.
“They had no questions for us or concerns, I told them if she were to disclose anything that I needed to know to inform me right away. They stated that they would talk to her and inform me of anything,” Juarez said in the report.
Was the state’s mandated reporting law followed?
The report states that the district, with the guidance of a legal counsel, concluded that no further action was necessary other than to monitor, which Juarez said she did. Juarez later was subpoenaed and ordered to appear at Chubon’s preliminary hearing on Sept. 24, 2025.
According to the California Department of Education, mandated reporters must notify law enforcement or CPS if they have reasonable suspicion of abuse or exploitation — even without evidence. State guidelines require the report to be made by phone immediately, followed by a written report within 36 hours of the incident that triggered the suspicion.
Thus, this raises questions about whether GUSD may have been required to make a report immediately after Juarez raised concerns about what she saw at the baseball game.
Though a report can be filed with the district as well, school districts and county offices of education “do not investigate child abuse allegations, nor do they attempt to contact the person suspected of child abuse or neglect,” according to the Department of Education.
The Gustine Police Department did not begin investigating the case until February 2024, after the student came forward.
Earlier this month, Sonora Elementary School Superintendent Cheryl Griffiths was placed on administrative leave after the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor charge accusing her of failing to follow the state’s mandated reporting law.
Despite the GUSD’s internal investigation, Gustine High School Principal Adam Cano and Ballenger wrote letters of recommendation for Chubon — in 2022 and in 2023 — as he was applying for positions at MCS.
A letter Ballenger wrote in April 2023 states, “Mr. Chubon always put students first and made sure his decisions were a direct relationship to what is best for students.”
“His leadership skills are second to none, and his ability to connect with students and teachers is highly respected,” wrote Cano in April 2023.
During the hiring process, MCS said it asked GUSD if Chubon was ever subject to an investigation, which GUSD denied.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
