Hayley Owens
Reviewer
Anonymous reviewer
Comments
My final concern regarding Ms. Owens is the apparent lack of transparency surrounding her transition from working as a substitute teacher into a regular teaching position. Based on what I personally observed and understood at the time, I have questions about whether parents were fully informed about her status and qualifications before her transition, especially considering some of the concerns that arose while she was teaching. This was not simply about Ms. Owens being a newer teacher. There were concerns involving student information allegedly being shared too broadly through email, an end-of-year party that reportedly resulted in students leaving other teachers' classes, professional boundaries involving repeatedly mentioning her birthday and things she liked to students, attendance and punctuality concerns, and whether she was sufficiently involved in department meetings to understand curriculum and instructional expectations. There was also the mock trial issue. Students reportedly stated that they were required to remain after school to practice and that they could lose points if they did not attend. I cannot personally verify whether points were actually deducted, so I am not stating that as fact. However, if students' grades were actually threatened or reduced because they could not attend an activity outside regular school hours, I believe that should have been reviewed by administration, particularly because not every student has transportation or the ability to stay after school. With all of these concerns, I believe greater administrative supervision and support should have been provided during Ms. Owens' transition from substitute teacher to regular classroom teacher. Instead, from my perspective, there appeared to be more concern with maintaining the school's image than openly addressing legitimate questions about what was happening. My union representative and I actually raised concerns about Ms. Owens' situation directly with Dr. Nancy Villagomez. To my knowledge, neither of us ever received a follow-up explaining what the district determined, whether Ms. Owens' credential and assignment had been reviewed, or whether parents were required to be notified. I acknowledge that Dr. Villagomez or Palmdale School District may have addressed the matter internally without informing us, but we were never provided that clarification. Many students were surprised when they learned that she was not a credentialed teacher but a licensed substitute teacher. This is particularly important because federal Title I requirements include a four-consecutive-week parent-notification rule. If a student at a Title I school is assigned to or taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet the applicable state certification or licensing requirements for the grade level and subject being taught, the school must provide timely notice to the student's parents. To be clear, I am not alleging that Ms. Owens or Palmdale School District violated this requirement simply because she had previously been a substitute teacher. Whether the rule applied would depend on what California credential or permit she held, whether it authorized the assignment, how long she taught in that capacity, and what parents were actually told. However, if it were established that the four-week notification requirement applied and affected parents were not notified, that could raise significant compliance concerns and potentially lead to parent complaints, administrative investigations, grievances, or other legal proceedings. Whether it could support a lawsuit would depend on the specific facts and applicable law. Ultimately, there are questions that Palmdale School District and Dr. Krishna Spates should be able to answer: What credential or permit did Ms. Owens hold? Was she appropriately authorized for the assignment? How long did she serve in that capacity? Did the four-week notification requirement apply? If it did, were parents notified? And what was ultimately determined after my union representative and I raised the issue with Dr. Villagomez? If everything was handled correctly, those questions should have straightforward answers. Parents deserve transparency about who is teaching their children, and teachers who raise legitimate concerns deserve to know that those concerns were actually taken seriously. My recommendation to parents, check your child's teacher credential via the CTC website. You can Google "California teacher credential look-up," which is public record!
Questionnaire Responses
How effectively does this teacher collaborate with colleagues to share ideas, resources, and best practices?
In what areas do you think this teacher could improve their collaboration or communication with colleagues?
First off, you just passed your CSET toward the end of the 2025–2026 school year, and before that, you were working as a substitute teacher. There is still a lot for you to learn, especially when it comes to student privacy and professional communication. For example, sending an email about a student or students to the entire faculty and staff—including teachers, administrators, cafeteria staff, maintenance staff, noon-duty staff, and others who may have no legitimate educational need for that information—raises serious FERPA and student privacy concerns. You should listen when veteran teachers tell you that information about students should be kept between the people who actually need to know, including the students' direct teachers and appropriate administrators. I also don't understand why the administrative team did not address this the first time and allowed something similar to happen twice. Hopefully, Dr. Krishna Spates, Dr. Nancy Villagomez, and Dr. Girum Jiru can clarify the proper expectations regarding student confidentiality and staff-wide communications going forward. Second, your end-of-the-year party for the students was not something the other teachers were happy about. It conflicted with teachers' schedules and disrupted classes. You even sent an annoying email telling teachers not to let students leave their classrooms without permission, yet students still ditched several of our classes to attend your party. If you're going to tell other teachers to enforce a rule, you should make sure your own event isn't contributing to students breaking that same rule. Third, you should have attended department meetings when you were a substitute teacher. Those meetings would have helped you understand what students were supposed to be learning instead of making things up as you went along. Actually being at school consistently—and being there on time—would have helped too. Attending those meetings and listening to experienced teachers could have made your transition into the position much smoother. Fourth, and this really needs to be understood: STUDENTS DO NOT OWE YOU ANYTHING. Mentioning your birthday to students throughout the school year and repeatedly telling them what you like can easily come across as hinting that you expect them to buy or bring you something. Teachers are the adults in the relationship. Students should never feel pressured, directly or indirectly, to give a teacher gifts or spend money on them. There is a difference between building relationships with students and creating an expectation that students should do something for you personally. That professional boundary matters.
Can you share an example of how this teacher has positively and/or negatively impacted your work or contributed to a collaborative effort at school?
Let's just call it, you were Spates loyal subject, and most of us saw it and were annoyed about the fact you can get away with murder. This brought a big divide in the school. Hopefully now that mommy is not there, people can be held accountable with their actions. Especially, with our weak assistant principals.
How well does this teacher communicate with colleagues, including sharing important information and updates in a timely manner?
How actively does this teacher participate in school-wide initiatives or professional development opportunities?
How professional is this teacher in their interactions with colleagues, maintaining respect, trust, and a positive attitude?
How supportive is this teacher in offering help or advice to colleagues when needed?
How open is this teacher to receiving feedback from colleagues and making adjustments based on that feedback?
How willing is this teacher to share teaching resources, strategies, or best practices with colleagues?
Overall, how satisfied are you with this teacher’s contributions to fostering a collaborative and positive working environment?
What do you appreciate most about this teacher’s approach to collaborating with colleagues and contributing to the school community?
I appreciate that Ms. Owens does push her students in their academics...when she's at school...or on time!
Details
- Reviewee
- Hayley Owens
- School
- Shadow Hills Magnet Academy - Engineering & Design
- Country
- United States
- State / Region
- California, Palmdale
- Reporting Period
- 2024-2026
- Submitted
- September 1, 2026
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