After working various non-classroom jobs in the Palo Alto Unified School District, Peter Colombo has been assigned to teach physical education at Fletcher Middle School for the 2025-2026 school year. 

In 2022, Colombo was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a former student during the 2001-2002 school year. In 2023, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office dropped the charges against Columbo due to inadequate evidence. Neither Columbo nor his attorney responded to requests for an interview, but both have repeatedly said the charges against him are false.

During his arrest, PAUSD first placed Colombo on unpaid leave. After charges against him were dropped, the district did not assign Colombo a teaching role. In 2024, Colombo sued PAUSD for $20 million over false imprisonment, lack of due process, defamation and disability discrimination. That case will be heard in January 2026.

After learning of Colombo’s reinstatement at Fletcher, parents there began a petition urging Superintendent Don Austin and the Board of Education to remove him from the classroom. After the district did not change their decision, students at Fletcher walked out of school and parents organized a protest outside the school to oppose Colombo’s reinstatement.

Despite parent and student concern about Colombo’s return, The Campanile recognizes the difficulty in easily reassigning or terminating him due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between PAUSD and the Palo Alto Educators Association. We also acknowledge Colombo’s ongoing lawsuit restricts PAUSD’s ability to publicly comment on the reasoning behind its decision to reinstate him.

While this situation is difficult to navigate, The Campanile thinks the district officials could have handled it much more professionally, and we urge PAUSD to continue to take steps to restore positive relations with parents and students. 

Students should never be forced into situations where they feel vulnerable in classes they are required to take. If PAUSD truly believes in the PAUSD Promise, which names mental health and wellness as one of five district priorities, they should listen to students who say they feel unsafe with any teacher. In a community that prides itself on excellence in public education, fulfilling promises to students and parents is the bare minimum the community should expect from its school system.

The Campanile also thinks PAUSD should be more proactive in communicating with the community. According to a Palo Alto Online story, Colombo has a history of criminal charges and convictions preceding his hiring in 1998, including a misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run in 1990.

In 2007, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing placed Colombo on probation for four years, citing his DUI. In 2010, the CTC suspended Colombo for consuming alcohol. Despite the suspension for alcohol abuse, Colombo remained a tenured teacher in the district.

PAUSD has given Colombo multiple second chances despite his past troubles, and we condemn the district for not communicating important decisions about this situation in a timely, clear manner.

Going forward, we also urge PAUSD to be more proactive in investigating complaints and disciplining teachers with recurring criminal convictions and documented inappropriate conduct, with tenure protections in mind

While we do recognize that state law or union contracts may limit or prevent some disciplinary action against teachers, we also think in situations where that is the case, the district should provide extra administrative supervision in the classrooms of teachers who have documented problems.

After two decades of keeping parents and students in the dark, the least PAUSD can do is listen. Accountability starts with putting students first.

This editorial has been corrected to reflect that Colombo was hired in 1998, not 1988. The Campanile regrets this error.