A Long Beach Unified teacher has retired after a months-long investigation by the school district concluded he sent a racist and ableist message that sparked a wave of public backlash, “impairing his effectiveness as a teacher and undermining the integrity of the LBUSD school system.”
These findings, reported here for the first time publicly, were contained in a March 19 report about the district’s investigation into MacArthur Elementary School teacher John Solomon. The report, based on findings from an outside law firm, concluded Solomon’s message “belittled students of color and students with disabilities,” according to a copy of the report reviewed by the Long Beach Post.
Solomon was a member of the teachers union’s bargaining committee when accusations surfaced in the fall that he’d sent an offensive meme to his fellow committee members. The message showed a cartoon image of a Black child wearing an ankle monitor with the message, “we need this for our runners!” — which other teachers said was a reference to special education students who sometimes run from campus.
Solomon denied sending the message, saying his phone had been hacked, but an investigative committee formed by the teachers union said they found that explanation implausible, and his colleagues eventually pushed him out of his leadership within the union. In its subsequent investigation, the district offered to perform a forensic audit on his phone, but he declined, according to its report.
The district had originally decided not to investigate the text message, saying it was part of protected union communications outside of its purview, but it reconsidered after the Long Beach Post reported on the image, prompting a “public outcry” as well as a rise in student and parent complaints, including formal discrimination complaints, the district wrote in its investigative findings.
Solomon remained employed and on paid administrative leave for the last six months during the district’s investigation, which ultimately concluded his denials weren’t credible when compared to the accounts of other teachers in the group chat.
Solomon is now accusing the teachers union of mishandling his case by allowing widespread dissemination and amplification of the text message that was originally sent in a private group chat. At the time, union leadership publicly criticized Solomon, urging him to step down from his position as secretary of the Teachers Association of Long Beach. Solomon alleges flyers bearing his face and the meme were also distributed at schools.
In documents filed with the California Public Employment Relations Board and reviewed by the Post, Solomon says that once the text became embroiled in public controversy, the district reopened his case and moved to dismiss him, forcing his early retirement “to avoid termination and subsequent loss of pay and health insurance.” He did not respond to a request for comment.
Solomon further alleges that when the district was preparing to take disciplinary action against him, TALB denied him legal representation unless he agreed to release them from liability.
When asked, the school district declined to comment on Solomon’s employment status, citing confidentiality reasons, but said, “Long Beach Unified holds employees to clear expectations for professional conduct. Actions that undermine a respectful and inclusive learning environment are taken seriously and addressed in accordance with District policy and applicable law.”
In response to a public records request filed by the Post, the district said it will release further information soon about its investigation into and intent to dismiss Solomon. The Post was able to review the investigative findings in advance of this release because these documents were contained in Solomon’s labor complaint.
The Long Beach Unified board of education is expected to approve Solomon’s retirement on Wednesday.
Teachers, parents and residents of Long Beach say they’re frustrated by the district’s lack of transparency and the amount of time Solomon was allowed to stay on paid leave.
At a recent school board meeting, retired educator Naida Tushnet said the district should explain why the investigation was dragging on and diverting money from students while the district is in a large deficit. “I believe in due process,” she said, but months of paid leave “becomes a vacation and is not accountability.”
Solomon has worked for Long Beach Unified since 1997 and, according to the most recently available data, was paid a salary of more than $117,000 in 2022. In his unfair labor charge, Solomon alleges that he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages and benefits, and requests that the teachers union make him whole.
Alyssa Gutierrez, a parent whose children attend LBUSD schools, expressed frustration about how opaque the district’s investigatory process is and called on the district to complete the steps “with transparency, but also urgency” and in a way that prioritizes the well-being of LBUSD students.
“Our kids are paying attention,” she said. “They’re learning what accountability looks like through the world around them.”