Fired Folsom Cordova district admin alleges retaliation in harassment case
A former Folsom Cordova Unified School District administrator is suing the district, alleging he was wrongfully terminated after recommending the firing of a politically connected campus monitor who had been accused in repeated sexual harassment complaints by female students.
In 2023, two Cordova High School students told staff that campus monitor Conrade Mayer had sexually harassed them. They said Mayer told one student he recognized her because of her “cute little ass,” the suit alleged.
Staff sent the complaint to Donald Ogden, the district’s associate superintendent of human resources at the time, according to his lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court earlier this month.
During the district’s investigation, more students reported sexual harassment by Mayer. They said Mayer had told multiple female students they were showing too much or not enough skin, requested that they become friends on Facebook, and offered to buy them condoms, the suit alleged. He also smacked the inside of a student’s thigh and told her to “put her pretty little legs to work.”
After seeing the investigation’s results, Ogden placed Mayer on paid leave, according to the suit. After a second investigation reached similar findings, Ogden signed a notice of disciplinary action recommending Mayer’s termination. Mayer appealed and requested a hearing before an administrative law judge.
While that appeal was pending, Superintendent Sarah Koligian retired, and Erik Swanson became the new superintendent.
“Throughout the year, Superintendent Swanson repeatedly pressured Dr. Ogden to ‘make the Mayer problem go away,’ complaining about its impact on the allegiance he received from board and council members,” the suit alleged.
The district declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit because it does not comment on pending litigation, said Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, district spokesperson.
“The district follows all applicable laws, policies and required procedures in every personnel and investigative matter, and we remain committed to ensuring that all actions are handled through the proper channels,” she said in an email.
Mayer was first hired by the district in 2012, Griffin Ankhelyi said. She declined to disclose how much he earned in paid leave before he was terminated.
Swanson did not return an email seeking comment on the suit.
Heated board meetings
In February 2025, the hearing took place, and several people said they had observed positive interactions between Mayer and students, while several students said Mayer had made them uncomfortable, the suit alleged.
The administrative law judge ruled that Mayer had violated district policies, the suit said. Mayer then requested a public hearing before the school board, which was set for June 2025.
“As the Mayer case came before the board of education for public hearing, Superintendent Swanson openly blamed Dr. Ogden for the Mayer ‘issue,’” the suit alleged. “In a cabinet meeting, he pointedly complained that this ‘issue with Conrade’ should ‘never have gotten this far, it should never have come to the point where it would be in front of the board.’”
The board did not take a vote at the June meeting.
Four days later, Swanson placed Ogden on administrative leave and told him he was being terminated without cause, with board support.
In July, the board then reconsidered the matter and voted 3-2 not to reinstate Mayer. Board President Jennifer Laret voted against the motion, in favor of reinstating Mayer, while member David Reid abstained.
During the heated meeting, two Rancho Cordova City Council members defended Mayer, who was awarded the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce’s “Citizen of the Year” award in 2012.
During the July meeting, Councilmember David Sander called the termination of Mayer a harm that affected the “students and the very fabric of Rancho Cordova.” Councilmember Garrett Gatewood said Mayer is a “great African American leader” in the region.
Since Ogden, 62, was fired, he has experienced panic attacks and has attended intensive outpatient therapy three times a week, the suit alleged. The suit seeks damages, as well as statutory and civil penalties.
Ogden has since joined the San Diego County Office of Education as an assistant superintendent of human resources, according to an August announcement.
Mayer faces no criminal charges in Sacramento County, according to court records.
The Bee’s Emma Hall contributed to this story.
