Basketball coach in molest case had prior 'peeking' conviction Basketball coach in molest case had prior 'peeking' conviction (January 25, 2006)

** Background-screening process raises questions.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

It appears that no one at the county Office of Education, the Sequoia Union High School District and the administration at Woodside High School knew that Guy Hayman, the coach of Woodside's varsity girls' basketball team since 1997 who was arrested last week on sexual molestation charges, had a 1991 misdemeanor conviction for peeking into an inhabited building.

The reason that the conviction flew under officials' radar is one of a number of unanswered questions surrounding the employment and background of Mr. Hayman, who was fired from his coaching job after his January 11 arrest by Redwood City police.

Mr. Hayman pleaded not guilty on January 13 to three felony counts of lewd acts with a girl, who was 14 when the molestation allegedly first occurred, and 41 misdemeanor counts of annoyance or molestation of the same girl, said Gregory Devitt, a San Mateo County deputy district attorney.

The misdemeanors are alleged to have occurred between January 1, 2002, and October 31, 2005. Of the three felonies, one is alleged to have happened in November 2003 and the other two over the following year.

Mr. Hayman met the conditions of his $300,000 bail and is currently out of jail, according to the clerk's office of the Superior Court.

Woodside Principal Linda Common said she was told by the Redwood City police that the charges involve one girl in Mr. Hayman's personal life and do not involve Woodside High students.
'Peeking' conviction

San Mateo County Superior Court records shed little light on the incident leading to his conviction for peeking into an inhabited building, including whether the building was a residence.

Mr. Hayman pleaded no contest to that charge on June 10, 1991, and was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and 50 hours of community service, according to a court clerk. He was also ordered to seek counseling, the clerk said.
Background check

When a school in San Mateo County considers hiring a teacher, staff member or contract employee, the FBI does a background check and has a system that alerts schools automatically if these employees have later criminal convictions. So it would appear that the bases are covered when it comes to screening out people with disqualifying pasts.

Jean Holbrook, the county's superintendent of public schools, said the reason the school district was not made aware of Mr. Hayman's criminal record may be that background-check rules set by the U. S. Department of Justice will flag a felony conviction but not all misdemeanors.

She said she does not know which misdemeanors are included on the department's notification list.

The FBI's current system does not track records or update schools regarding employees whose fingerprints were taken before 1999. In that year, the county Office of Education began using a fingerprinting machine that automatically sends the prints to the FBI, which then sends schools the report and any updates if there are later convictions, said Ms. Holbrook.

Many school employees in the Sequoia district were hired before 1999. Asked about the potential for criminal incidents that might have occurred after their background checks were complete, Superintendent Pat Gemma said he has concerns but that they are tempered by the need to protect the rights of students and teachers.

"I don't want to go on a witch hunt," he said.

Mr. Gemma said the next meeting of district superintendents in the county, scheduled for February, is likely to include a discussion on background checks and updates to background checks. The superintendents will be talking with the county counsel and someone from either the Justice Department or the district attorney's office, he added.
Student reaction

At Woodside High, the reaction to the arrest of Mr. Hayman, a popular girls' varsity basketball coach, has left many students surprised, sad and dismayed.

Many students are "incredibly sympathetic and sad" in their feelings for the Woodside team members and their families, said sophomore Max Schneider, a basketball writer for the Almanac.

"Many say that they were very surprised to hear the news because (Mr.) Hayman seems like such a nice guy," he said.
Team members advised

Ms. Common named a junior varsity coach to Mr. Hayman's position for the five games remaining in this year's season after Mr. Hayman's contract was terminated.

She said she and the girls varsity team members were in shock over the turn of events. After having met three times with the team since the arrest, Ms. Common said on January 17 that she is unaware of any incidents that involve Mr. Hayman and any of Woodside's 15 members of the current varsity team that he coached.

As to the possibility of incidents with girls from previous varsity teams, Ms. Common said she has asked parents to discuss the matter with their daughters, and so far, she has not heard reports of incidents. "That doesn't mean that somebody won't call me tomorrow," she added.

In an e-mail message to the Almanac, Ms. Common said she advised students who feel a need to "talk about this situation" to check in at the school's counseling office, and she asked teachers to allow classroom discussions.

The District Attorney's Office is releasing little information about the allegations leading to the arrest. Mr. Devitt would not comment on how the allegations came to the attention of Redwood City police and his office, nor would he discuss whether further charges are being considered or if there will be further investigation.

One agency that was apparently not tipped off to the arrest was the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, which provides school resource officers for Woodside High. Lt. Ken Jones said his department learned of the arrest by reading about it in the newspaper.

Mr. Hayman is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. Friday, January 27.

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