FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: fac@firstamendmentcoalition.org
San Rafael, Calif. – A Solano County judge ruled on December 5 that the Napa Valley and Benicia Unified School Districts can release public records regarding former public school teacher Matthew Shelton’s alleged sexual abuse of students. Shelton has been charged with 12 counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 while employed by the Benicia Unified School District. He faced similar charges in 2007 for allegations while employed by the Napa Valley school district.
“The Benicia community deserves to know how their school district investigated and responded to the allegations of Mattew Shelton committing sexual abuse, especially after he had already been charged and tried for sexual misconduct in a nearby district,” said Holly McDede, the investigative reporter who filed the public records act request for Shelton’s records. “Nothing less than complete transparency in this case is critical to ensure something like this never happens again.”
McDede, who covers sexual misconduct in schools, filed a California Public Records Act request in March 2024 seeking records related to Shelton’s misconduct, employment records, any separation or settlement agreements, and other documents from both the Napa Valley and Benicia school districts. But before either district released any records sought by McDede, Shelton filed a “reverse CPRA” lawsuit seeking to prevent release of the records and arguing they would violate his right to privacy and jeopardize his right to a fair trial. After he filed suit, the court temporarily prevented the districts from releasing the records to McDede while it considered the case.
Representing McDede, the First Amendment Coalition persuaded the court to allow McDede to intervene in the case and largely prevailed in its argument that the public’s interest in disclosure of the records about the conduct of a public school teacher outweighs Shelton’s privacy interests, and that the court had tools at its disposal to ensure a fair trial despite any media attention to the case.
“This case highlights how misconduct records are critical to holding government institutions accountable and keeping the communities they serve safe,” said Annie Cappetta, FAC Legal Fellow and one of McDede’s attorneys. “The court’s ruling has vindicated the people’s right to know.”
See more about this case here: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/case/shelton-v-napa-valley-unified-school-district/