Case # IA-15-30

Date Received: November 17, 2014

Conference:
Date Closed:
Employee Information
First Name: Joseph
Last Name: Angelo
Location: The Sanibel School
Position:
Music Teacher
Employment Date: 8/1/2005
Investigation in Progress
COMPLAINT(S): On or about November 17, 2014, Professional Standards &
Equity was notified that Joseph Angelo, Music Teacher at The Sanibel
School, allegedly engaged in repeated inappropriate use of district
technology and conducted personal business on district time. Angelo
reportedly accessed pornographic material using a district computer,
shipped personal items to school, purchased and potentially resold
collectible Lego sets, and engaged in personal business related to private
music lessons and professional photography services.
NOTE: It is significant to note that in the course of the investigation, Mr. Angelo
offered multiple explanations and presented conflicting accounts of events. This
could be significant relative to the nature of the allegations and the trust and
independence afforded to Mr. Angelo in his position at The Sanibel School.
ALLEGATION(S): Same as above.
COMPLAINANT(S):
The School District of Lee County
WITNESSES:
Barbara Von Harten, Principal The Sanibel School
Nancy McDole, Assistant Principal The Sanibel School
Ellen Galioto, Bookkeeper The Sanibel School
Soo Christoff, Network Specialist The Sanibel School
Ramon Ayala, IT Network Administrator
Angela Angelo, The Sanibel School
Joseph Angelo, The Sanibel School
RECORD:
Statement, Screen Shot Barbara Von Harten (Pages 1-8)
Chronology Barbara Von Harten, Nancy McDole (Pages 9-12)
Written Reprimand Barbara Von Harten (Pages 13-45)
1

Conference Summary, April 2014 Barbara Von Harten (Pages 46-48)

Conference Summary, February 2014 Barbara Von Harten (Pages 4951)
Statement Nancy McDole (Pages 52-53)
Statement, USPS Tracking Information Ellen Galioto (Pages 54-57)
Statement, Notes Soo Christoff (Pages 58-64)
Statement, Web History Log (DVD) Ramon Ayala (Pages 65-67)
Meeting Summaries Angela Angelo (Pages 68-82)
Summary of Correspondence, Certification Information, Note Joseph
Angelo (Pages 83-95)
Camera/Video Inventory Logs (Pages 96-104)
Wikipedia Entry, Google Searches (Pages 105-111)
Angel Light Images (Pages 112-125)
Photographs from Mr. Angelos Classroom/Office (Pages 126-137)
Emails Joseph Angelo (Pages 138-263)
Code of Ethics, Principles of Professional Conduct (Pages 264-266)
School Board Policy 2.20 (Pages 267-269)
School Board Policy 2.202 (Pages 270-271)
School Board Policy 2.24 (Pages 272-274)
School Board Policy 4.01 (Page 275)
School Board Policy 5.02 (Page 276)
School Board Policy 5.33 (Page 277)
School Board Policy 5.35 (Page 278)
School Board Policy 6.12 (Page 279-280)
2013-2014 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 281-288)
2012-2013 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 289-296)
2011-2012 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 297-304)
2010-2011 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 305-311)
2009-2010 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 312-318)
2008-2009 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 319)
2007-2008 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 320)
2006-2007 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 321)
2005-2006 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 322)

SUMMARY OF INVESTIGATIVE FINDINGS (point by point):

12/10/14, Barbara Von Harten, Statement, Screen Shot (Pages 1-8):

On 5/29/14, Mr. Angelo received permission to sign out an iMac to take

home over the summer
On 11/4/14, District staff conducted an inventory at The Sanibel School
Mr. Angelos iMac was not on campus and had not been returned to
school

Ms. Christoff asked those with equipment signed out from the school to
return it to school for the Inventory
On 11/5/14, Mr. Angelo returned the iMac to the school without the
keyboard and mouse and Ms. Christoff took the computer to her office
On 11/6/14, Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole were off campus attending
an all-day Principal meeting
On 11/7/14, Ms. McDole informed Ms. Von Harten that Ms. Christoff
found an inappropriate file on [Mr. Angelos] computer
Ms. Von Harten went to Ms. Christoffs office and saw a Recent History
which included a file name that said: 3_friends_having_sex_with_1_chi
Ms. Von Harten asked if there was anything else inappropriate found
Ms. Christoff informed that she had taken a cursory look and that this was
all that she had found and that it was a file name only
Ms. Von Harten attempted to open the file, but was unsuccessful
Ms. Von Harten took a picture of the desk top that displayed the file name
in order to send the photo to the district
Ms. Von Harten, Ms. Christoff, and Ms. McDole decided to store the
computer without Joe [Angelo] being aware of its location, to prevent him
from accessing the computer until inspected by the District IT Department
Ms. Von Harten reported Ms. Christoff moved the computer to a closet in
an area that is not cleaned or accessed by the custodial staff
Ms. Von Harten located a letter and documentation regarding
inappropriate computer use by Joe [Angelo] in September 2011
Ms. Von Harten received advice from Personnel regarding the 2011
incident and wished to mention it in discussion of the current incident
Ms. Von Harten referred the file name and historical case information to
Professional Standards & Equity; the computer and two external hard
drives were examined by District IT staff
On 11/12/14, Ms. Von Harten met with Mr. Angelo and told him that
something inappropriate was found on his computer and that he needed
to call Professional Standards & Equity
Mr. Angelo asked what they had found on his computer and Ms. Von
Harten indicated that he needed to call Professional Standards & Equity
Ms. Von Harten reported Mr. Angelo said either she (Soo) goes or he
goes and we were going to lose a good music teacher

NOTE: A summary of Mr. Angelos conversation with PSE is included in this

investigative summary.

At about 10:15 a.m., Mr. Angelo went to Ms. Von Hartens office and said
he tried not to use his equipment for personal use and nothing was
done intentionally to hurt the school, [Ms. Von Harten] or the district
On 11/13/14, the following day, Mr. Angelo told Ms. Von Harten he had
downloaded his personal hard drive onto the Apple and opened the file,
immediately closed it and deleted it
3

Mr. Angelo apologized and reported he had done this over the summer
On 11/17/14, Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole instructed Mr. Angelo to
report immediately to PSE
Mr. Angelo reportedly said he didnt know if Ms. Von Harten and Ms.
McDole knew the title of what he had opened, but it was not child porn
Ms. Von Harten reported Mr. Angelo said it was 3 women having sex
Mr. Angelo informed Ms. Von Harten that he would never look at child
porn, as it was not his character
Ms. Von Harten indicated Mr. Angelo left campus at about 7:40 a.m.

NOTE: Mr. Angelo did not report to PSE until 10:15 a.m. He called PSE to inform
that he stopped to get gas and went to the Island Coast FEA office instead.

On 11/18/14, Ms. Von Harten spoke to Mr. Angelo about arrangements for
the upcoming musical performances and reported he was very helpful
On 12/1/14, Ms. Von Harten spoke to Mr. Angelo about an email from
PSE regarding the return of personal items to include 3 guitars and
approximately 30 lego sets
Mr. Angelo indicated he preferred that [Ms. Von Harten] move the red
guitar into [her] storage closet and to leave the others in his office and
the remaining items (legos) on the list could remain in place
Ms. Von Harten was aware that in August or September packages were
coming into the school for Mr. Angelo and Ms. Galioto, the bookkeeper
was signing for them
Ms. Von Harten recalled that Mr. Angelo told Ms. Galioto he didnt want
his wife to know about the deliveries
Ms. Von Harten indicated these were not items which had been ordered
by the school and some days multiple packages were being received
Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole noticed a stack of empty mailing boxes
and lego kits stacked in [Mr. Angelos] office, as well as lego figures lined
up on his desk
Ms. Von Harten indicated her belief that Mr. Angelo was a collector and
had Legos shipped to school since he works long hours and would not
be home to sign for deliveries
Ms. McDole suggested that the bookkeeper, Ms. Galioto, call Mr. Angelo
and ask him to sign if she was uncomfortable signing for the packages
Ms. Von Harten indicated she never discussed this situation with Mr.
Angelo and assumed that the deliveries had slowed or stopped since
[she] had not heard any more about them

NOTE: Ms. Von Harten was asked to provide information from conversations
with Ms. Angelo, based upon concern that Mr. Angelo asked Ms. Angelo to
remove camera equipment and other items relevant to the investigation in direct
opposition of PSE directives. Ms. Von Harten requested that PSE be mindful of
her desire to maintain the trust of her staff. Ms. Von Harten was advised to only
include information relevant to the current investigation.
4

Ms. Von Harten stated her support for Ms. Angelo and said, she is a
respected and valued member of the staff and I can only imagine how
difficult this situation is for her
On 11/14/14, Ms. Von Harten met with Ms. Angelo
Ms. Angelo reportedly stated Joe [Angelo] had said he had opened a file
from his college days and as soon as he saw it he closed it
Ms. Von Harten asked Ms. Angelo if Mr. Angelo had told her the file name
Ms. Angelo responded, No, he had not, and she said she did not feel he
was being honest with her as he was not telling her everything.
On 12/3/14, Ms. Angelo stated she supported Joe [Angelo] 120% and
didnt understand after all he had done how he could be treated this way
Ms. Angelo reported Mr. Angelo had explained the file name and she
knew he had done one thing before and had been written up, but it was
just for his account inadvertently connecting to the schools account
Ms. Von Harten asked Ms. Angelo if she had seen the letter from the
previous incident
Ms. Angelo responded no, but [Mr. Angelo] had told her about it and she
trusted him as she knew he would never look at pornography

NOTE: See previous disciplinary document Mr. Angelo received on page 13.

Ms. Angelo asked Ms. Von Harten if there was more and Ms. Von Harten
explained she was unable to share information about confidential
employment matters and ongoing District investigations
Ms. Von Harten assured Ms. Angelo that this situation required district
involvement
Ms. Angelo responded that Mr. Angelo would never look at porn and that
he was not a pedophile and Ms. Von Harten should have trusted him
Ms. Angelo reiterated her support for Mr. Angelo and stated after all [Mr.
Angelo] had done for the school, she didnt understand how he could be
treated this way
Ms. Von Harten responded that she knew this was a difficult situation and
that Ms. Angelo would give the children 100%

NOTE: For the screen shot of Mr. Angelos computer, see pages 7-8.
12/2/14, Barbara Von Harten and Nancy McDole, Chronology (Pages 9-12):
NOTE: Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole provided PSE with a chronology of their
preliminary investigation; see page 9.
NOTE: Attached is the Removal of Equipment from District Premises form,
along with emails from Mr. Angelo to Ms. Christoff regarding the inventory.

On 5/29/14, Mr. Angelo signed to remove an Apple iMac, Bar Code No.
106294WQ9053UROTG, and approval was granted by Ms. Von Harten
Mr. Angelo accepted financial responsibility and agreed to return the
computer on 5/29/14 or at the request of the School, Department, or
District Department Head
Mr. Angelo agreed to only use the computer for District related activities
and that he would not use the computer for commercial purposes, or
engage in any other conduct that would violate copyright laws or any
license rights granted to the School District of Lee County
Mr. Angelo accepted that non-compliance may result in forfeiture of the
right to take any equipment from the School District of Lee County in the
future and financial responsibility for any damaged, lost, or missing items

NOTE: Included in the record are emails from Mr. Angelo regarding his use of
equipment and requests for return of the iMac; see pages 11-12.
9/20/11, Barbara Von Harten, Written Reprimand (Pages 13-45):

Ms. Von Harten indicated that on 9/15/11, Mr. Angelo connected his
personal hard drive, which contained personal and school files, to an
Apple computer that was connected to the District network
Ms. Von Harten reported that all of the computers at school [had] access
to [Mr. Angelos] personal files, which included some sexually explicit
videos, which were inadvertently viewed by several staff members
Ms. Christoff directed Mr. Angelo not to reconnect [his] personal hard
drive and not to ever connect the Apple computer to the LCSD network
On 9/16/11, Mr. Angelo reconnected his personal hard drive and
connected the Apple computer to the District network which again resulted
in all computers [at] school having access to inappropriate videos
Mr. Angelo was directed by Ms. Von Harten not to bring [his] hard drive
back on campus
On 9/19/11, Mr. Angelo reconnected his hard drive to the Apple computer
and attempted to transfer files
Mr. Angelos school computers and school hard drive were taken from his
office as part of a district investigation to determine if inappropriate
content had been downloaded and/or viewed
Ms. Von Harten stated, That evening, [Mr. Angelo] entered the
Technology Specialists locked office in the main office, which was also
locked, to delete content, purge the internet history, and reset the settings
to make it more difficult to restore browser history. The external hard drive
was purged at the same time.
Ms. Von Harten indicated that Ms. McDole met with Mr. Angelo on 9/22/11
and Mr. Angelo acknowledged that [he] had downloaded inappropriate
content and loaded unauthorized software on a school computer, and had
tried to destroy the evidence as described above due to fear for [his] job
Mr. Angelo reportedly deeply regretted [his] actions
6

Ms. Von Harten informed Mr. Angelo that his conduct violated the School
Board acceptable use policy
Ms. Von Harten cited the policy, which states all users are prohibited from
deliberate access or transmission of obscene, indecent or otherwise
offensive material in any form during or after school/work hours
Ms. Von Harten informed Mr. Angelo that his actions had the potential to
negatively impact the educational program and safety of our students
Ms. Von Harten told Mr. Angelo we do not believe any children accessed
these files, but several staff members did inadvertently access them
Mr. Angelo was told to comply with School Board Policy
Mr. Angelo was told to never plug [his] personal hard drive into the LCSD
network or a guest network on campus and to never view, download, or
transmit obscene, indecent, abusive, defamatory or otherwise offensive
material in any form
Mr. Angelo was told that unauthorized computers may never be plugged
into the LCSD network and he must comply with directives regarding
technology issues by the Technology Specialist or administration
Ms. Von Harten provided Mr. Angelo an opportunity to correct [his]
behavior and informed that continued non-compliance will result in
disciplinary action and could result in termination of employment
Mr. Angelo was informed he had the opportunity to prepare a response
Signed Joseph M. Angelo, Nancy McDole, and initialed BM on
9/23/11
Ms. Von Harten indicated Mr. Angelo responded several weeks later,
requesting that the MAC computer in question be returned to him
More than three pages of Mr. Angelos four page response focus on the
benefits this computer has given the music program
Mr. Angelo stated, I deeply apologize with much regret for my actions
and I will be extremely vigilant to NOT connect it to the network and will
only use district peripherals such as hard drives to connect content to the
computer

NOTE: Ms. Von Harten provided PSE with additional documentation of the
incident, including, Ms. McDoles and Ms. Christoff personal notes regarding the
incident, both of which were authenticated and signed; see pages 21-45.

Ms. McDole reported Mr. Angelo asked the head custodian to open Ms.
Christoffs locked office and erased the browser history of the iMac
Mr. Angelo reportedly stated that he went into Soos office because he
panicked and was trying to cover up his actions
Mr. Angelo admitted to downloading an R rated movie at school onto his
personal hard drive and knew he was not supposed to connect his hard
drive to the internet

NOTE: Ms. Von Harten indicated the material viewed by staff was sexually
explicit videos. See disciplinary document, page 13.
7

Mr. Angelo said Ms. Christoff had told him not to plug his hard drive into
the schools iMac, but he had done so anyway
Mr. Angelo reported he had downloaded things as recently as the week
before and knows there is no excuse for his actions
Mr. Angelo reportedly denied trying to directly download any
inappropriate material on his school computer other than maybe music,
but he had not intended to download pornographic material on any district
computer
Mr. Angelo reportedly knew he should not have asked the head custodian
to let him into Ms. Christoffs office and agreed to apologize to both parties

NOTE: In order for files to be transmitted as described, Mr. Angelo would have
had to connect his external hard drive to a network device and enabled that
device to share content, two separate intentional actions.

Ms. Christoff reported that the iMac has been connected via Ethernet
cable to the LCSD domain periodically for as long as its been here
Ms. Christoff reported content was downloaded 9/13 and 9/14 via apple
store, including custom podcasts via iPhone, movies and music via
iTunes
Ms. Christoff reported the downloads circumvented district blocks/filters
Ms. Christoff informed that inappropriate content was noticed 9/15 AM by
Kathy Harris and during the day it was noticed by two other staff
members
Ms. Christoff, Mr. Sabean, District Senior Network Administrator, and Mr.
Angelo spoke via conference call and Mr. Angelo was specifically
instructed to keep the computer off-network
Ms. Christoff indicated that the computer was reconnected to the network
on 9/15 and there were more downloads
Ms. Christoff reported that on Monday 9/19/11 at 9:30 the iMac was
removed from [Mr. Angelos] office along with 2 external hard drives
Ms. Christoff informed one hard drive was returned to Joe w/o
examination
Ms. Christoff stated, at 7:11 PM Monday [9/19/11] Joe entered my office
and turned the computer back on until 7:40. During that time content was
deleted, internet history purged and settings reset to make it more difficult
to restore browser history. The one external hard drive was also purged.
Computer may have been connected to the guest network.
Ms. Christoff reported folders/files were not purged by me. Archival event
data shows that content was modified Monday at 7:14 PM.

4/10/14, Barbara Von Harten, Conference Summary (Pages 46-48):

On 3/3/14, Ms. Von Harten requested a meeting with Mr. Angelo in order
to discuss a parent concern
8

On 4/10/14, Ms. Von Harten and Mr. Angelo met

Ms. Von Harten was pleased that Mr. Angelo completed the proper forms
for approval prior to showing movies in class
Ms. Von Harten, Ms. McDole, and Mr. Angelo met in February to discuss
parent concerns about use of movies as a fill in for music instruction
Mr. Angelo was reminded that forms must be completed, approval must
be granted, and lesson plans must indicate that a movie will be shown
Mr. Angelo was reminded movies must relate to learning objectives
Mr. Angelo was reminded to submit lesson plans before Monday of each
week and he should not be showing movies as a filler at the end of class
Ms. Von Harten noted showing movies was no replacement for the quality
instruction [Mr. Angelo has] to offer
Ms. Von Harten attached a copy of the Sanibel School Media Service
Movie Evaluation Form, which indicates that all media must be approved
48 hours prior to showing
The form includes an Evaluation Rubric and information required for
administration and the Review Committee to assess the appropriateness
of showing the movie at school

2/4/14, Barbara Von Harten, Conference Summary (Pages 49-51):

On 2/3/14, Ms. Von Harten requested to meet with Mr. Angelo

On 2/3/14, Ms. Christoff reported concerns about Mr. Angelos use of the
District Network to look at stock feeds, banking, shopping, etc.
Ms. Christoff reported this activity attracted her attention because of the
overwhelming use of resources on campus devoted to these activities
Ms. Christoff provided Ms. Von Harten with a detailed report and indicated
the report would not include any activities he was doing on his personal
equipment, specifically an iPad and an Apple laptop
Ms. Christoff observed Mr. Angelo using an iPad and Apple laptop on
1/27/14 in the elementary computer lab in violation of district policy
Ms. Christoff was concerned that Mr. Angelo was following the stock
market using social networks that required administrative approval
Ms. Christoff was concerned Mr. Angelo was using school equipment for
personal use, and using personal computer and electronic equipment
Ms. Christoff reported she was unable to download the database of Mr.
Angelos online activity, because it was too large
Ms. Christoff reported Mr. Angelo called her earlier that morning and told
her he saw [Ms. Christoff] was looking at his computer Friday afternoon
and asked if there were any concerns about what he was doing
Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole met with Mr. Angelo on 2/3/14
Mr. Angelo was told that social networking, banking, and shopping sites
are not ever allowed on school computers
Mr. Angelo reported he shops for music, props, and costumes for his plays
Ms. Von Harten told Mr. Angelo that all shopping must be pre-approved
9

Mr. Angelo stated that he would delete the stock market update link from
any computers he uses at school
Ms. Von Harten told Mr. Angelo that school equipment may not be used
for personal use and he should never access non-educational sites
Mr. Angelos use of his personal iPad or laptop for school use only was
discussed
Mr. Angelo was instructed to move his seat at the front of the computer lab
to the back of the computer lab in order to monitor student computer use
Mr. Angelo was reminded that movies should not be used as a filler and
prior approval of movies was required

12/9/14, Nancy McDole, Statement (Pages 52-53):

NOTE: Ms. McDoles statement is highly consistent with Ms. Von Hartens and
other details previously documented in this summary.

On 11/7/14, Ms. McDole went to Ms. Christoffs office and observed, the
recent history list which included a file named,
3_friends_having_sex_with_1_chi.
Ms. McDole stated due to a previous incident regarding inappropriate
content on the same iMac computer it was decided the computer would
be moved to a location that Joe [Angelo] would not be able to access
Ms. McDole indicated Mr. Angelo inquired about the whereabouts of the
iMac computer
Ms. McDole reported Mr. Angelo indicated that he was sorry that Soo
[Christoff] had an emergency with her mother but that he was tired of
being harassed by Soo [Christoff] and felt he was being victimized
Ms. McDole reported that on 11/13/14 or 11/14/14, Mr. Angelo apologized
to [her] for his actions saying he never wanted to hurt the school
Ms. McDole suggested that Mr. Angelo tell the truth and not blame Soo
[Christoff] for his situation since she was only doing her job
Ms. McDole indicated Mr. Angelo reportedly apologized to Ms. Christoff,
but she had not confirmed this with Ms. Christoff

12/3/14, Ellen Galioto, Statement, USPS Tracking Information (Pages 54-57):

Ellen Galioto is the Bookkeeper at the Sanibel School

Ms. Galioto met with Professional Standards & Equity on 12/2/14 and
answered follow up questions via phone on 12/3/14
Ms. Galioto reported that last school year was her first year as
Bookkeeper
Ms. Galioto indicated that during the Summer of 2014 packages
addressed to Mr. Angelo, not purchased by the school, began to be
delivered to the school

10

Ms. Galioto indicated deliveries continued after school began in August

2014
Ms. Galioto indicated staff members rarely order personal items, such as
gifts, to be sent to the school
Ms. Galioto reported that Mr. Angelo had 30-40 packages delivered to the
school and the packages ranged from small to desk sized items
Ms. Galioto was concerned about accepting packages without knowing
what was in them and stated, What if Im signing for illegal items?
Ms. Galioto asked Mr. Angelo what the packages contained and Mr.
Angelo informed they were Legos and things he didnt want shipped to
his house
Ms. Galioto indicated Mr. Angelo talked about starting a Lego club and
believed he was a Lego collector
Ms. Galioto believed Mr. Angelo was purchasing Legos to be resold
Ms. Galioto refused to sign for Mr. Angelo and spoke to Ms. Von Harten
who told her she should call Mr. Angelo to sign for the items himself
Ms. Galioto reported items shipped from all over, some from out of the
country

NOTE: See photo from Mr. Angelos classroom, page 128.

Ms. Galioto informed she was not at school from mid-June to mid-July and
it is possible that others may have signed for items shipped to Mr. Angelo
Mr. Angelo told Ms. Galioto items were shipped to school because he
didnt want to upset his wife and Ms. Galioto was not sure if it was a
money issue
Ms. Galioto was asked why Mr. Angelo would have personal items
shipped to school if he was trying to keep his wife from knowing about
them
Ms. Galioto reported there was less of a chance his wife would find out at
work, than if they were delivered to their doorstep, and reported that Mr.
and Ms. Angelos classrooms are across school from each other
Ms. Galioto was uncertain if items Mr. Angelo had shipped to school were
taken home by Mr. Angelo
Ms. Galioto reported the last order she received for Mr. Angelo was two
iPhone 6s and Mr. Angelo notified her in advance that the order shipped to
the school

NOTE: Ms. Galioto was shown a Tracking Report for the tracking number found
on a box in Mr. Angelos classroom that had the shipping labels removed.

11

Ms. Galioto reported that the Tracking Report was from right before school
started, which was around the time she had a conversation with Ms. Von
Harten regarding signing for Mr. Angelo
Ms. Galioto reported almost all the packages Mr. Angelo received were
from USPS and the mail man would joke saying Heres another delivery
for Joe
Ms. Galioto informed there were never any other unusual orders and all
orders made through her checked out including a recent order for 6
blow up beds for the school production of Annie
Ms. Galioto reported, If there is something a teacher wants, they shop
online and submit a purchase order and Ms. Galioto makes the order
Ms. Galioto, Ms. Von Harten, and Ms. McDole are the only people on
campus with a P-Card used for purchasing items without a purchase
order
Ms. Galioto indicated that approximately 25% of orders are on the PCard, including most online orders, and that not all vendors accept
purchase orders
Ms. Galioto was asked to explain an earlier statement that Mr. Angelo
had other collections that were kinda crazy
Ms. Galioto replied that she believed Mr. Angelo collected just Legos
Ms. Galioto was informed of an inappropriate file on Mr. Angelos
computer
Ms. Galioto reported she had never seen that side of Mr. Angelo and she
had never heard him curse or say anything inappropriate and there was
never anything inappropriate with children
Ms. Galioto reported that Mr. and Ms. Angelo are awesome and that she
had never seen anything inappropriate from either of them
Ms. Galioto informed that Mr. Angelo has always been upfront with her
and there have been no bookkeeping issues
Ms. Galioto reported Mr. Angelo has always gotten prior approval for
school purchases and has even paid the difference personally any time
he has made mistakes and not included the price of taxes or anything

12/3/14, Soo Christoff, Statement, Notes (Pages 58-64):

Soo Christoff is the Network Specialist assigned to the Sanibel School

Ms. Christoff met with Professional Standards & Equity on 12/2/14, and
answered follow up questions via phone on 12/3/14
Mr. Angelo checks out his Apple computer every summer
Ms. Christoff indicated the Apple computer is not district standard

12

Mr. Angelo stated he needs the Apple in the summer for video editing of
school related projects, such as graduation videos, and to run operating
system updates
Ms. Christoff reported Mr. Angelo also used a DVD duplicator over the
summer that he did not check out
Ms. Christoff reported that in August she requested that Mr. Angelo bring
the computer to school as required on the sign out agreement
The computer was not returned and Ms. Christoff again requested that Mr.
Angelo bring the computer to school for inventory
Ms. Christoff informed that Mr. Angelo said he installs updates on the
computer himself
Mr. Angelo returned the computer to the school in early November
The week Mr. Angelo returned the computer, he requested the computer
be returned to him for the weekend, so that he could continue editing
Ms. Christoff ran routine scans of update logs and noticed some of the
browser history had been deleted and discovered a suspicious file name
Ms. Christoff informed that she has an engineering background, not IT,
and didnt want to leave fingerprints so she shutdown the computer after
discovering the file
Ms. Christoff reported she didnt know what kind of file three friends was
Ms. Christoff stated that she was shocked at what [she] was seeing and
searched a few logs to figure out where the file was stored before turning
the computer off
Ms. Christoff placed the computer in an area under video surveillance
because the last time this happened Mr. Angelo broke into my office and
deleted things
Ms. Christoff reported she is not an apple expert and that this involved
the same computer as the previous incident
Ms. Christoff informed that Mr. Angelo has quite a bit of personal apple
equipment at home and described an Airport device that Mr. Angelo has
used to access the internet while at school
Ms. Christoff reported that the Airport device is outside district filtering
and described it as a tethering device which district policy prohibits
Ms. Christoff informed that the previous incident involved Mr. Angelo using
iTunes Home Share at school and inappropriate content was broadcast
through the school network
Ms. Christoff stated anyone could have seen [the inappropriate content]
including students or staff
Ms. Christoff described the content as racy videos and reported that
there was more than one video included in an extensive playlist
Ms. Christoff reported there were 40-50 videos in the playlist, not all were
inappropriate, and some items had movie ratings
Ms. Christoff informed that Mr. Angelo was informed of the issue and
asked to remove the content and to not connect to the District Network

13

Ms. Christoff indicated that Kathy Harris was the first staff member to
discover the inappropriate content, and that she, Diane Cortese, Maureen
McMenemy, and Ms. Von Harten also saw the inappropriate content
Ms. Christoff reported this problem persisted for approximately three days
Ms. Christoff placed Mr. Angelos computer in her office for safe keeping,
until determining how to inspect the computer for inappropriate content
In the morning, Ms. Christoff noticed the computer had been accessed
that evening and registry logs indicated files and applications were deleted
Ms. Christoff reported the logs indicated files were deleted during a 30-40
minute window of activity on the computer and the times were compared
to security camera footage
Ms. Christoff reported that on the evening in question Mr. Angelo was
seen on security camera
Administration informed Ms. Christoff that Mr. Angelo admitted he had
persuaded a custodian to let him into her office and that from 7:10 to 7:40
Ms. Christoff indicated one of the external hard drives was completely
wiped prior to being inspected
Ms. Von Harten returned the other external hard drive to Mr. Angelo prior
to inspection, after it was reported that it was a personal hard drive
Ms. Christoff indicated she believes Mr. Angelo still uses his Airport
tethering device on occasion and has seen the device on campus, both on
Mr. Angelos desk and in the elementary computer lab
Ms. Christoff informed that the Airport device can be easily concealed
Ms. Christoff reported a separate incident involving Mr. Angelo following
stocks and trading blogs

NOTE: See previous disciplinary document, page 49-51.

While conducting the recent inventory of Mr. Angelos Apple computer,

Ms. Christoff discovered day trading and Lego websites in Mr. Angelos
browser history before noticing the file title
Ms. Christoff reported that the disc duplicator Mr. Angelo took home over
the summer connects to the computer with a USB cord
Ms. Christoff informed that the disc duplicator puts a local copy of the file
to be duplicated on the computer and asks the user Do you want to keep
this project? Yes or No? and if the user selects No the file is wiped from
the computer
Ms. Christoff reported the program used with the disc duplicator is called
Microboards and it is possible that a disc duplicator file would show up
on a computer, in recent documents
Ms. Christoff indicated she is not aware of any personal disagreements or
conflicts between her and Mr. Angelo and stated any disagreements with
Mr. Angelo have been related to professional matters at school

14

NOTE: Ms. Christoff provided Professional Standards & Equity with a prepared
written statement on 12/2/14.

Ms. Christoff titled the document Notes, Joe Angelo 11/2014.

NOTE: Ms. Christoffs notes are highly consistent with information previously
provided including the discovery of the file name on Mr. Angelos district
computer three_friends_having_sex_with_a_chi.

Ms. Von Harten, Ms. McDole, and Ms. Christoff inspected the computer
and googled the phrase using Ms. Christoffs desktop computer but
Google returned no response
Ms. Christoff reported Ms. Von Harten asked that she place the iMac in a
secured location and it was moved to IDF10, which is normally locked
and under camera 24/7

12/15/14, Ramon Ayala, Statement, Web History Log (DVD) (Pages 65-67):
NOTE: Ramon Ayala is a District IT Network Administrator. Mr. Ayala was asked
to examine the District computer that was removed from Mr. Angelos office in
order to provide additional details regarding the file name.

On 11/7/14, Mr. Ayala reviewed Mr. Angelos web history from 10/1/14 to
11/7/14
Mr. Ayala noted that the majority of search terms pertained to different
plays and musicals including Annie, Lion King, and Broadway
Mr. Ayala reported that streamed videos were mostly of plays and
musicals and provided example URLs
Mr. Ayala indicated that on 10/20, 10/21, and 11/4, Mr. Angelo spent 40
minutes on lego.com
Mr. Ayala indicated that other browsing history seemed normal
Mr. Ayala viewed a screenshot of the file name on Mr. Angelos Mac
Mr. Ayala reviewed the contents of documents on Mr. Angelos Windows
computer and found an internet favorite named fantasycostumes.com
Mr. Ayala noted the website included the names adult costumes, adult
sexy costumes, adult couples costumes, adult costume, Chicago
On 11/10/14 and 11/12/14, Mr. Ayala received and reviewed the iMac
Mr. Ayala reported receipt of two external hard drives PSE provided from
Mr. Angelos classroom/office at The Sanibel School
Mr. Ayala stated under the recent files I saw the file name and the file
was not stored on the iMac or either of the two external hard drives
Mr. Ayala reported there was no way to find out where [the file] was
located and that he was not able to access the file
Mr. Ayala searched the iMac and both hard drives and found pictures and
videos pertaining to school plays, school events, and classroom activities
15

On 12/1/14 at about 8:30 a.m., Mr. Ayala reviewed the contents of two
SD cards, 1 Compact Flash Card, 1 USB Flash Drive, 1 xD Flash Card
Mr. Ayala reported that the contents of one SD was corrupted and
Check Disk was used to repair the drive
Mr. Ayala used File Recovery tools to view files that may have been
deleted on the cards
Mr. Ayala found pictures and videos pertaining to school plays, school
events and classroom activities
Mr. Ayala amended his statement on 12/15/14 and reported to the best of
my recollection the file name was: 3_People_Having_Sex_With_Chi
Mr. Ayala informed that he was shown a screen shot of the file on 11/7/14
by Dr. James Short
Mr. Ayala reported he also found a desktop folder called secret folder
which was set to be hidden and had nothing in it
Mr. Ayala provided PSE with a record of Mr. Angelos web history from
October 1st to November 7th which was inspected by PSE
District filtering software characterized several websites as Explicit Art,
Pornography - Adult Content, and R Rated, upon closer inspection
these websites were believed to be related to musicals and playbills
Many sites were accessed that related to website optimization and digital
media marketing, including: Criteo, Google Analytics, Go Daddy, Score
Card Research, Sell Points, Bazaar Voice, Olark, Live Chat Inc., New
Relic, AdRoll, Rubicon Project, Pubmatic, Casale Media, Visual Website
Optimizer, Gravatar, and Constant Contact
Mr. Angelo accessed online retail sites related to camera equipment,
including: Canon, Canon Rumors, and B&H Photography
Mr. Angelo briefly visited B&H Photo during school hours on 10/7, 10/17,
10/21, 10/22, 10/27, 10/30, 11/3, 11/17

NOTE: Mr. Angelos emails indicate he forwarded B&H Photography promotional

emails to anglelightimages@yahoo.com and made a purchase from the site on
behalf of Angel Light Images Angelo Entertainment. Mr. and Ms. Angelo
informed that Angel Light Images is a personal business venture.

Mr. Angelo visited Canon and Canon Rumors on multiple occasions after
school hours
Mr. Angelo visited several online retail sites that appeared to be related to
musical productions, purchasing musical instruments or sound equipment
Mr. Angelo visited Lego websites on multiple occasions
Mr. Angelo visited Lego websites during school hours on 10/21 and 11/4,
spending about 15 minutes on a Lego website on 11/4/14
Mr. Angelo visited the Verizon Wireless website and searched for
information about iPhone and iPad technical support
On 10/30/14 from approximately 7:10 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., Mr. Angelo
searched NASDAQ and enzon pharmaceutical buyout
16

12/2/14, Angela Angelo, Meeting Summaries (Pages 68-82):

On 12/2/14, PSE met with Ms. Angelo in order to inform her of the process
for return of personal items in her husbands classroom
Ms. Angelo expressed her willingness to comply with the process
regarding return of personal items in Mr. Angelos classroom and office
Ms. Angelo reported that she removed a camera from Mr. Angelos
classroom after school on 11/17/14
Ms. Angelo indicated that the camera belongs to her and Mr. Angelo and
is used as part of their wedding photography business
Ms. Angelo reported she removed the camera before being made aware
of an email informing Mr. Angelo that he must make written request for
return of personal items
Ms. Angelo asked for an explanation of how the disciplinary process works
and the role of PSE
Ms. Angelo was informed of steps taken to maintain the integrity of
investigations, the confidential nature of ongoing investigations, and the
investigators role as an objective fact finder
Ms. Angelo asked about the inclusion of character evidence in an
investigation
Ms. Angelo was informed the focus of investigations is on conduct alleged
and all relevant information would be included, including performance
evaluations and witness statements that may reference character
Ms. Angelo indicated a belief that the person who initiated the complaint
against Mr. Angelo was out for blood

NOTE: In later conversation, Ms. Angelo indicated she believed Ms. Christoff to
be the person who initiated the complaint.

Ms. Angelo reported that the file in question was roughly 15 years old and
was one that Mr. Angelo had from his college days
Ms. Angelo stated that Mr. Angelo was not that kind of man and
expressed her support for him
Ms. Angelo was informed that by all accounts, Mr. Angelo has done a
great job with the music program at the Sanibel School
Ms. Angelo stated that Mr. Angelo made a mistake, but he did not open
the file on the computer, and it certainly was not child pornography

NOTE: Mr. Angelos statement on 11/17/14 contradicts Ms. Angelos account

that Mr. Angelo did not open the file. In later conversation, Ms. Angelo reports
Mr. Angelo did not view the file and reports he saw the file in a quick view
finder. Also, PSE did not provide Ms. Angelo a file name or refer to pornography
or child pornography in the course of the conversation.

17

Ms. Angelo asked how to respond to questions from concerned staff,

students, and parents regarding Mr. Angelos extended absence
Ms. Angelo was informed that her response, He is on leave for an
indefinite amount of time, was appropriate
Ms. Angelo was informed that should questions become bothersome, she
should refer them to Ms. Von Harten or Ms. McDole

NOTE: Ms. Angelo responded via district email to an interview summary

provided by PSE.

Ms. Angelo reported she was aware of the process regarding the return of
her husbands personal items and is more than willing to comply
Ms. Angelo stated, Yes, I removed our personally owned camera that we
use for our photography business, prior to being made aware that I was
not allowed to go into my husbands office during this investigation. Angel
Light Images Photography is our personal photography business.
Ms. Angelo reported witnessing the person who reported Mr. Angelo
speaking to him disrespectfully, moving his cursor around on his
computer, opening files, and searching for things
Ms. Angelo stated, She reports to our administration immediately for
anything she can about Joe [Angelo] and indicated this has made it
difficult for Mr. Angelo to work with this person
Ms. Angelo informed that Mr. Angelo has been a music teacher for 17
years in Ohio and Florida
Ms. Angelo stated, [Mr. Angelo] does not have a problem looking at
inappropriate material on the internet
Ms. Angelo stated, I support my husband 120% and indicated she and
Mr. Angelo have gone above and beyond for The Sanibel School
Ms. Angelo reported that the computer in question was donated to the
school and was a non-district supported computer
Ms. Angelo indicated that Mr. Angelo was told he would have to take the
computer home over the summer, and perform all the updates himself
Ms. Angelo stated, My husband was deleting old files from hard drives at
home, over the summer, in attempt to make space for recording his
upcoming musical productions. He was not looking at anything
pornographic in nature, ESPECIALLY nothing having to do with children.
Ms. Angelo was asked via email to provide clarification as to the specific
file she believed Mr. Angelo inadvertently accessed, in order to reconcile
conflicting reports
Ms. Angelo declined further comment via district email and offered to meet
in person with a union representative present
On 12/8/14 at 2:30 p.m., Professional Standards & Equity met with Ms.
Angelo at the Sanibel School, in attendance were Ms. Angelo, Mark
Castellano of Island Coast FEA, and Mr. Rothenberg

18

Ms. Angelo was informed that a meeting had been requested in order to
allow her to provide clarification regarding her response to emails
exchanged concerning an earlier conversation
Ms. Angelo was informed that witnesses are sometimes reluctant to
provide information about topics which are difficult to discuss or may be
embarrassing, but truthful and complete responses are necessary in order
to ensure a thorough investigation
Ms. Angelo was asked to provide clarification about the file in question
due to conflicting reports
Ms. Angelo reported that she had been truthful and stated let me be
clear about what was said
Ms. Angelo indicated that she never said the file wasnt pornographic,
but had instead reported that Mr. Angelo had never viewed anything
pornographic
Ms. Angelo was asked to provide the name of the file she was referring to
Ms. Angelo reported the file name was three women having sex with chi
Ms. Angelo informed that Mr. Angelo had connected old hard drives from
around 15 years ago and that he was pressing the up and down arrows
in the quick view finder

NOTE: Ms. Angelo reported Mr. Angelo did not view the file, but later reports
Mr. Angelo saw the file in the quick view finder. Mr. Angelo reported he briefly
opened the file and plugged the file into his own computer and deleted the file.
See Mr. Angelos statements on page 26 of this summary.

Ms. Angelo indicated that Mr. Angelo scrolled through files such as senior
recital, marching band videos, and IAAPA videos
Ms. Angelo informed that Mr. Angelo previously worked for Cedar Point
Amusement Park and his productions had received amusement park
awards from IAAPA
Ms. Angelo reported that Mr. Angelo was scrolling through quickly
assessing what do I want, what do I want to delete
Ms. Angelo reported that Mr. Angelo wasnt viewing pornography,
especially child pornography
Ms. Angelo stated she supports Mr. Angelo one hundred twenty percent
Ms. Angelo stated sometimes Apple computer file names are truncated
and you cant see entire file name
Ms. Angelo wished to know where conflicting reports were coming from
and who made the complaint
Ms. Angelo was reminded that given the confidential nature of the
investigation it would be inappropriate to disclose witness names or
provide specific information regarding their statements

19

Ms. Angelo asked, How can people respond truthfully to questions about
what happened in my home over the summer?
Ms. Angelo reported that Mr. Angelos Apple computer was a non-district
supported computer
Ms. Angelo believed ownership of the computer to be kinda muddy since
a community member purchased and donated the computer to the Music
Department
Ms. Angelo was informed that the Apple Computer was property of the
School District of Lee County and was subject to inventory and inspection
by the District the same as any other District property
Ms. Angelo informed that Mr. Angelo asked Soo [Christoff] to do updates
and [Ms. Christoff] said No so Mr. Angelo took the computer home over
the summer to do updates
Ms. Angelo stated, Soo Christoff did not see the computer at the school
Ms. Angelo indicated there was a tech inventory and Keith did inventory
and told Joe [Angelo] he couldnt locate the Mac, so Joe told him he took it
home over summer for updates
Ms. Angelo reported Mr. Angelo had been informed that all that was
needed was a picture of the barcode and when Mr. Angelo returned the
computer to the school, Ms. Christoff removed the computer
Ms. Angelo stated Ms. Christoff did a complete search of the whole thing
Ms. Angelo informed that she believed that Ms. Christoff had done things
like this in the past and reported that Soo [Christoff] has moved [Mr.
Angelos] cursor and taken hard drives

NOTE: Ms. Von Hartens statement indicates Ms. Angelo was unaware of the full
scope of the prior incident involving Mr. Angelos inappropriate use of technology
and destruction of evidence.

Ms. Angelo was informed that PSE was aware of the serious nature of the
allegations and carefully considered the information available prior to
opening a formal investigation
Ms. Angelo was informed the possibility of a truncated file name was
considered, however a screen shot showed files with longer names, and
the information available warranted a report to law enforcement, the
Department of Education, and a formal investigation
Ms. Angelo was informed that distinguishing between pornography and
child pornography would have little bearing on PSEs decision to
investigate, since allegations of either would amount to misconduct
Ms. Angelo, through a union representative, provided a response to notes
from the 12/8/14 meeting

20

Ms. Angelo stated, I have not been reluctant to provide any information. I
have been truthful about everything that I know to be true and more than
willing to provide information
Ms. Angelo indicated she did not know what conflicting reports were
being referred to
Ms. Angelo reported, Joe [Angelo] did not know the name of the file until
Mr. Will Rothenberg informed him of the file name on Tuesday, November
12th, 2014. Joe later informed me of the name of the file, after receiving
this information from Mr. Will Rothenberg.

NOTE: Ms. Angelo provided a file name different from the file name found on Mr.
Angelos computer. Mr. Angelo was provided with the correct file name.

Ms. Angelo stated, Joe was scrolling through many of his past
performances from high school and college, video files from his days as a
marching band director, and music teacher in Ohio, and videos that he
had created from past employment, such as Cedar Point.
Ms. Angelo indicated that Quickly is the key word regarding the speed at
which Mr. Angelo scrolled through files
Ms. Angelo stated she requested clarification regarding conflicting
reports and did not ask who made the complaint
Ms. Angelo reported she was not asking for specific names of witnesses
or information regarding their statements
Ms. Angelo referenced the confidential nature of this investigation and
conversations and statements being quoted and sent through district
email
Ms. Angelo stated, Let the record show that he was using this computer
off campus, during the summer months, and it was not connected to the
LCSD network or school district guest network
Ms. Angelo reported that Mr. Angelo asked Ms. Christoff to take the
computer home at the end of last school year to perform updates
Ms. Christoff reportedly refused and informed Mr. Angelo that this is a
non-district supported computer and he would have to take the
computer home and perform updates himself
Ms. Angelo reported Mr. Angelo was told by Keith all that was needed
was a picture of the barcode and Ms. Christoff asked Mr. Angelo to return
the computer for inventory
Ms. Angelo stated, Joe [Angelo] told me [Ms. Christoff] was the first
person to turn on the computer since July.

NOTE: Mr. Angelo repeatedly requested the return of the iMac for use related to
an ongoing musical production. Mr. Angelo reportedly needed the iMac so that
he could play a pre-show video, and upload and edit video from performances.
See pages 90-91.
21

Ms. Angelo reported, Joe has seen the cursor on his teacher computer (in
his office), being moved around opening folders, clicking around and
that she believed Ms. Christoff had done so remotely from her office
Ms. Angelo indicated that Ms. Christoff had removed Joes personally
owned hard drives from his office in the past

NOTE: Ms. Angelo informed Ms. Von Harten she had not read the Warning
Letter that Mr. Angelo received for this incident, and her consistent statement
that Mr. Angelo was being treated unfairly by Ms. Christoff and that Ms. Christoff
removed hard drives from Mr. Angelos office seems to be based upon an
incomplete knowledge of this earlier incident.

Ms. Angelo stated, On November 12, 2014, Mr. Rothenberg told Joe that
a suspicious file name was found in the recent activity on the Mac
computer in question
Ms. Angelo stated, Over the summer, when Joe was assessing which
files to keep and which files to delete, Joe saw the file names through the
column view in the finder. File names are truncated in this view.

11/25/14, Joseph Angelo, Summary of Correspondence, Certification

Information, Note (Pages 83-95):
NOTE: Prior to opening a formal investigation Mr. Angelo was asked to contact
Professional Standards & Equity regarding the removal of the iMac computer.

On 11/12/14 at about 10 a.m., Mr. Angelo called PSE

Mr. Angelo was informed that PSE had received a report from
administration regarding a suspicious file name on his computer
Mr. Angelo was informed that PSE had taken possession of the computer
and related equipment found in his classroom/office for review by the
District IT Department
Mr. Angelo was informed that the IT Department had possession of the
computer for about three days and was asked if there was anything he
wished to say
Mr. Angelo spoke about the use of the computer and how it helped him
and the Music Department
Mr. Angelo indicated he had been involved in an incident in the past
involving a G-rated movie and it was accidental and had been resolved
Mr. Angelo reported he had taken the computer home over the summer in
order to update software and to continue editing film from musicals he had
produced
Mr. Angelo said he may have accessed schwabb.com, Sanibel news, tide
levels, and Lego websites
Mr. Angelo informed that he has his own computers for personal use
22

Mr. Angelo reported he had not powered the computer up since August

NOTE: As mentioned earlier in the summary, Mr. Angelo made requests for the
return of the computer related to ongoing performances of Annie.

Mr. Angelo informed that the computer was purchased with grant money
for music/media productions and was told he would have to self-service
the computer, so he had taken it to the Apple Store in the past
Mr. Angelo informed after the earlier incident he was instructed to refrain
from connecting to the network
Mr. Angelo was told that he needed to be honest and was asked if there
was anything else he would like to say about the earlier incident
Mr. Angelo said hed forgotten that there was an R-rated science fiction
movie on the hard drive and admitted that it was not appropriate to
download, but he was not aware that it had been automatically uploaded
to the school network
Mr. Angelo informed that he had a log of his downloads from the previous
incident and at the time of the earlier incident he felt like he was being
unfairly pressured
Mr. Angelo said, connecting to the network was [his] fault and that he
has a home sharing feature called bonjour that shared a couple
inappropriate movies throughout the entire school
Mr. Angelo indicated that he was unaware and it was unintentional
Mr. Angelo was informed of the file name of the suspicious file, 3 friends
having sex with 1 chi
Mr. Angelo asked, Are they trying to say I was looking at child
pornography? and When you say chi do you mean child?

NOTE: PSE did not mention pornography or child pornography to Mr. Angelo.
Mr. Angelos response to the file name was unsolicited.

Mr. Angelo was informed the IT Department was reviewing the computer
and equipment, due to uncertainty about what the file name meant
Mr. Angelo was informed PSE believed the situation to be serious and a
report from the IT Department was forthcoming
Mr. Angelo was informed that once PSE received a preliminary report from
the IT Department, a decision would be made regarding how to proceed
concerning a district investigation, referring the case to the Florida
Department of Education, and involving law enforcement, if necessary
Mr. Angelo asked what was at stake and how things would unfold and
was told it was still unclear
Mr. Angelo was informed of the role of PSE and told he would be notified if
a formal investigation was opened
Mr. Angelo was informed that investigations are confidential until resolved
and that potential disciplinary action is up to and including termination
23

Mr. Angelo informed that he never downloaded anything and said he

would be okay with not having the computer back, that the gravity of the
situation had been a learning point
Mr. Angelo reported he has a good track record and works very hard to
make the music department better
Mr. Angelo said he didnt house anything on the computer and didnt
download anything in regards to that
Mr. Angelo stated that any personal material wouldnt show up on the
computer and that hed turned over the computer for an inventory

NOTE: Mr. Angelos comments refer to the source of origin for the file and the
storage location of the file. At issue was whether the file was accessed or opened
using Mr. Angelos iMac. Mr. Angelo later admitted to opening the file.

Mr. Angelo said that both hard drives belong to the district and are used
for video storage
Mr. Angelo reported he wasnt sure how he could finish the day teaching
and was told to speak to Ms. Von Harten concerning leave
Mr. Angelo asked how much administration knew, and who else was
aware of the situation
Mr. Angelo was told that at the time school administration, PSE, and the
IT department were aware, but a formal investigation would eventually
result in the information becoming public record
Mr. Angelo said he would never do anything to hurt kids and hed been
teaching for 17 years and would never expose them to anything
Mr. Angelo stated, he always keeps his personal life at home
Mr. Angelo reported the computer was at his home the entire summer,
from about May until Wednesday of last week (Nov. 5)
Mr. Angelo reported hed received a request to bring the computer in to
be inventoried on Tuesday afternoon/evening (Nov. 4) and that hed
brought the computer in on Thursday (Nov. 6)
Mr. Angelo did not respond when asked if there was anything else he
would like to share
Mr. Angelo was told that the investigator felt he hadnt told the entire story
regarding the earlier incident
Mr. Angelo was reminded his personal hard drive had automatically
synched with the district network on multiple occasions resulting in staff
being exposed to sexually explicit video
Mr. Angelo said this was correct, however the staff that saw the
inappropriate content was specifically the secretary to the principal and
the principal

NOTE: Mr. Angelo signed the Written Reprimand that repeatedly states several
staff members were exposed to sexually explicit videos. Ms. Christoffs
statement names five staff members who viewed this inappropriate content.
24

Mr. Angelo indicated the files viewed were something from a street racing
podcast where at one point women were topless

NOTE: Earlier in the same conversation, Mr. Angelo reported that the previous
incident involved G-Rated movies and R-Rated sci-fi movies.

Mr. Angelo reported that this was the result of his entire iTunes being
inadvertently broadcast to the entire school
Mr. Angelo was asked if there was anything else, and he said there was
nothing else he could think of
Mr. Angelo was told that of greater concern than his violation of the district
acceptable use policy was that he had admitted to accessing the
equipment in order to delete files and purge the browser history
Mr. Angelo said he had deleted things off his personal hard drive and it
was a mistake

NOTE: Ms. Christoff informed that Mr. Angelo requested the return of his
personal hard drive and it was returned without inspection. Mr. Angelo deleted
the contents of the district hard drive, browser history, and computer logs.

Mr. Angelo was informed that his attempt to interfere with an earlier
investigation by destroying evidence created problems regarding candor
Mr. Angelo reported his entire musical career, including productions for
Cedar Point, were on the hard drive and that he had requested that the
hard drive be returned to him and was concerned that everything hed
downloaded would be viewed
Mr. Angelo said he didnt think the IT Dept. would find anything the
same, that he wasnt trying to delete anything inappropriate, and that use
of additional hard drives was for editing purposes
Mr. Angelo indicated he had been recommended for a Golden Apple, but
didnt want to bring pain on the district with whats going on
Mr. Angelo was reminded of the confidential nature of the conversation
Mr. Angelo was informed school administration would speak to him if a
formal investigation was opened once PSE received an IT report
On 11/15/14, Mr. Angelo called PSE and left a message indicating he had
questions and would call back on Monday (11/17/14)
On 11/16/14, Mr. Angelo called PSE and left a message stating the
letters chi stood for China the stage name of a female pro-wrestler

NOTE: See Wikipedia Entry, Google Search in the record, pages 105-111.

Mr. Angelos message requested a return phone call on Monday

(11/17/14)
On 11/17/14 at about 8:37 a.m., Mr. Angelo called PSE and left a
message indicating he was on his way to the District office and needed to
stop for gas, but had a question in the interim
25

NOTE: Ms. Von Harten and Ms. McDole reported Mr. Angelo left The Sanibel
School at about 7:40 a.m.

On 11/17/14, Mr. Angelo asked if he should have union representative

present when meeting with PSE and was informed that this was a
personal decision, but he was welcome to bring a union representative
Mr. Angelo was asked for an estimated time of arrival at the district office
and he reported that he was unsure, but he was at the FEA office
Mr. Angelo was reminded Ms. Von Harten instructed him to report to the
District office and his diversion should have been communicated earlier
On 11/17/14 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:20 a.m., Mr. Angelo, Ms. Mutzenard,
and Mr. Rothenberg met at the Lee County Public Education Center
Mr. Angelo was informed the District had not opened a formal
investigation yet, and would be required to make the information from its
preliminary investigation available to the Florida Department of Education
and the Lee County Sherriffs Office
Mr. Angelo was informed of the potential for public notoriety and the
confidential nature of on-going investigations
Mr. Angelo was informed that upon completion of an investigation
information would become public record
Mr. Angelo was informed that given the nature of the allegation, PSE
believed it more appropriate to speak to him in person about the opening
of a formal investigation and the process involved
Mr. Angelo was asked, Whats in the file?
Mr. Angelo reported that the file was opened briefly and was a
pornographic file

NOTE: Ms. Angelo reported Mr. Angelo did not open the file, see page 19 of this
summary.

Mr. Angelo reported the file was not child pornography

Mr. Angelo indicated the file was a female pro wrestler named China that
went into pornography

NOTE: As indicated in the attached Wikipedia Entry the former female wrestlers
name is spelled Chyna.

Mr. Angelo indicated he plugged the file into his own computer and
deleted the file
Mr. Angelo stated it was a mistake on [his] part
Mr. Angelo reported having a discussion with his wife regarding the matter
Ms. Mutzenard indicated Mr. Angelo provides private music lessons at the
Sanibel School as an employee of the Sanibel Rec. Center

26

Mr. Angelo informed he teaches private lessons to five students that

attend the Sanibel School
Mr. Angelo was informed he may not enter School District premises or
have contact with School District students or staff during the course of the
investigation, without prior approval of PSE
Mr. Angelo was told he would be unable to provide private lessons to
students on campus at the Sanibel School and it would be inappropriate to
contact students of the Sanibel School
It was recommended that Mr. Angelo inform the Sanibel Rec. Center that
he would be unavailable for music lessons for the time being and ask that
they communicate with parents and students on his behalf
Mr. Angelo made an additional request that data on his external hard
drives not be deleted, since they contained performances from the past
ten years
On 11/17/14 at 2:05 p.m., Mr. Angelo requested the return of personal
equipment in his office, such as keyboard, guitars, and cameras
Mr. Angelo reported a camera purchased by him personally and used for
school and personal purposes was in his classroom
Mr. Angelo reportedly runs a photography service; Angel [Light] Images
Mr. Angelo stated he and his wife run a wedding photography business
and approximately $10,000 worth of lenses were stored in his office
Mr. Angelo reported the camera was at school to be used by students to
take photographs of a recent musical production
Mr. Angelo said he does put the camera in the hands of students during
the show and others can vouch for that, just in case theres any funny
photos
Mr. Angelo indicated these are good kids and he had no reason to
believe there were funny photos but just in case
On 11/17/14 at 3:21 p.m., Mr. Angelo was emailed the procedure for
request and return of personal items
Mr. Angelo was asked to submit requests in writing to PSE describing the
items and their location in his classroom
Mr. Angelo was informed that PSE reserved the right to inspect items
before they were removed

NOTE: Items were to be inspected before removal in order to determine

ownership, identify items relevant to the investigation, and to prevent tampering
with or destruction of evidence. See email, pages 83-88.

Mr. Angelo was advised that Ms. Angelo and other staff members were
not permitted to remove equipment from his classroom or office

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On 11/21/14, Mr. Angelo was informed that Ms. Von Harten provided PSE
access to the cameras located in his classroom/office and logs of school
and district owned camera equipment
Mr. Angelo reported his wife removed the camera upon his request

NOTE: Later in the conversation, Mr. Angelo indicated that Ms. Angelo had
decided to retrieve the missing camera on her own.

Mr. Angelo reported that this took place on Monday (11/17/14) and before
coming to school he requested that she bring the camera home
Mr. Angelo indicated there were video cameras in his classroom/office
from a recent production
Mr. Angelo requested the return of three guitars
Mr. Angelo was asked to return a disc duplicator that he had taken from
The Sanibel School
Mr. Angelo provided the location of two disc duplicators in his office
Mr. Angelo reported he had purchased Legos for Christmas gifts and
wished to have these returned as well
Mr. Angelo was asked to provide a location and description of the Lego
sets he wished to have returned
Mr. Angelo reported that there were several Lego sets in different
locations throughout his office and storage room, including: in a mail
carrier bin, behind desks, and in boxes on top of file cabinets
Mr. Angelo reported that he had considered starting a Lego Club at the
school and described himself as a bit of a collector
Mr. Angelo requested the return of Legos located in his office on top of
the oven, used for baking pizzas for kids that stayed after school
Mr. Angelo reported these were little sets used for holiday Lego displays
Mr. Angelo reported that the Legos in the storage room were all still in
boxes and that the main ones were to be sent as gifts
Mr. Angelo apologized for his request and stated he knew he was asking
for a favor
Mr. Angelo was reminded requests must be made in writing
Mr. Angelo was thanked for providing an early indication of the nature of
the items and extent of his request
Mr. Angelo was informed that Ms. Von Harten requested he return a check
issued to him by the PTA
Mr. Angelo informed that the check had already been deposited into a
personal savings account and offered to write a return check or return the
amount in cash
Mr. Angelo was informed that further consultation with Ms. Von Harten
would be required regarding return of the check
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Mr. Angelo informed that the camera he requested be returned earlier was
in his office and indicated that his wife had gotten it for him
Mr. Angelo stated shes a part of the photography business and knows
what equipment is at home so Ms. Angelo probably decided to retrieve
the missing camera herself
Mr. Angelo indicated his wife could identify the camera at school as
belonging to them
Mr. Angelo reported that his wife does not have a key to his classroom
Mr. Angelo stated that his wife brought the camera home on Monday
Mr. Angelo acknowledged receipt of the email regarding removal of
equipment and informed his wife of the situation
Mr. Angelo reported that his wife is aware of the investigation
Mr. Angelo stated, Im not sure if this is what youre getting at, but she
knows she cant discuss the investigation
Mr. Angelo informed that he was a Lego collector and estimated the
value of the Legos in his classroom at close to $1,000
Mr. Angelo reported that there were a few highly valued sets that are out
of production and there may be one set worth $500
Mr. Angelo stated he sent the Legos to family as gifts
On 11/25/14 at 2:05 p.m., Mr. Angelo called to inform that Ms. Von Harten
agreed to make items available to Ms. Angelo for return to Mr. Angelo
Mr. Angelo indicated he was mostly concerned with guitars and his wife
would not be able to grab all the stuff
Mr. Angelo stated this was primarily items in the office, not storage
Mr. Angelo indicated he was also interested in the return of chairs, etc. in
the event hes not returning to school
Mr. Angelo reported he was able to text his wife and was told that he
should inform his wife that she is to go through Ms. Von Harten
Mr. Angelo stated that the person his wife rides to school with has limited
room in their car

NOTE: Included in the record are the emails that Mr. Angelo sent to Ms. Christoff
requesting the return of the iMac. See pages 11-12, 90-91.
NOTE: Mr. Angelo has valid Florida Certificates for Elementary Education K-6
and Music K-12. Mr. Angelo held Ohio Certificates for instruction of all grades
Computer/Technology and Music.
NOTE: On 11/20/14, while collecting video and camera equipment for review by
the District IT Department, Ms. Von Harten found a note Mr. Angelo left on his
desk that she felt uncomfortable leaving in his office during the investigation.

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The note is titled Job Options and lists the following: Trader, Comcast,
Guitar Center, Sweet Water, Disney, Cruise Line, Cedar Point, BMMS
Band Director

Camera/Video Inventory Logs (Pages 96-104):

NOTE: Included in the record is a list of items removed from Mr. Angelos
classroom on 11/20/14 to be inspected by the District IT Department. Ms. Von
Harten provided Professional Standards & Equity with school based records of
camera and video equipment. Several of the items removed for inspection were
checked out to Mr. Angelo. Also present were items that were not on the list and
not checked out to Mr. Angelo, such as a disc duplicator.
12/5/14, Wikipedia Entry, Google Searches (Pages 105-111):
NOTE: PSE researched Mr. Angelos claim that the file in question was a
pornographic film featuring a former professional wrestler by the name of China.
Mr. Angelo and Ms. Angelo maintain that the file was approximately 15 years old.

Wikipedia indicates that a pornographic movie featuring professional

wrestling personalities named 1 Night in China was released in 2004
The former professional wrestler involved, Joanie Laurer, performed
under the ring name Chyna (pronounced China)
The film reportedly features multiple explicit sex acts

NOTE: The release date of this film conflicts with Mr. Angelo and Ms. Angelos
reports that the file was 15 years old. The alternate spelling of the performers
name Chyna and the film name conflicts with file name. It should be noted that
the Wikipedia URL lists the film as 1_Night_in_China.

Google searches of the phrases 3 friends having sex with 1 china and 3
friends having sex with 1 chi produced results related to sexual health,
Chinese culture, TV and film synopsizes, dating information, and foreign
sex trade

12/5/14, Angel Light Images (Pages 112-125):

Angel Light Images website has four galleries under School Events with
220 photos and video of what appears to be a student performance

NOTE: This is potentially a violation of School Board Policies 2.20 and 2.24; see
page 267-269, 272-274.

Angel Light Images website provides contact information, including:

angellightimages@yahoo.com and 239-218-2406
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NOTE: The phone number provided is Mr. Angelos personal cell phone number.
Included in the record are emails regarding Angel Light Images, including a link
to pricing lists, a master shot list for a wedding, a disc label order, reference to
graduation photos, and a B&H photography solicitation forwarded to
angellightimages@yahoo.com.
11/20/14, Photographs from Mr. Angelos Classroom/Office (Pages 127138):

Photographs were taken of camera equipment and Legos present in Mr.

Angelos classroom
Lego Monster Fighters boxes were found which match a search term in
the browser history provided by Mr. Ayala
Canon camera boxes and camera cases containing cameras belonging to
The Sanibel School were readily apparent and easily identifiable
Two disc duplicators were found, one checked out by Mr. Angelo had and
another which he reportedly had not checked out
Lego sets and musical instruments were found between desks and file
cabinets and in various other storage locations, including a mail crate
A Lego Factory Market Street box was found
Shipping Labels were removed from a USPS Box, however the tracking
location of the box identified it as having been shipped in August from
New York City to The Sanibel School
Inside the box were Lego sets separated into individual Ziploc bags
In the box there was a yellow package addressed to Joseph Angelo,
3840 Sanibel Captiva Rd. Sanibel FL; phone number (239) 218-2406
The return address on the yellow packages was from Hong Kong

NOTE: The address on the yellow packages is The Sanibel School and the
phone number belongs to Mr. Angelo. Ms. Galioto reported Mr. Angelo had
received packages from outside the country.
Emails Joseph Angelo (Pages 138-263):
NOTE: Emails regarding missing inventory items, Mr. Angelos use of various
technology, and Mr. Angelos role as a computer lab monitor and tech support
surrogate can be found in the record at pages 138-156.
NOTE: Included in the record are emails regarding Mr. Angelos Acceptable Use
Policy training and Mr. Angelos duties as a censor. Mr. Angelo took on
responsibility for assessing the appropriateness of music performances and
managing aspects of the movie review process at The Sanibel School. See
pages 157-183.

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NOTE: Mr. Angelo received several notifications from Facebook indicating an

account registered to JosephMA@leeschools.net under the name Rylie. See
pages 184-191.
NOTE: Emails regarding Mr. Angelos private music lessons business are
included in the record. Mr. Angelo made referrals to other instructors, scheduled
and cancelled lessons, had contact with former and current students of The
Sanibel School regarding lessons, and solicited business from parents on behalf
of Sanibel Parks & Recreation. These emails date back as far as 2006 and
include lesson contracts, payment schedules, and payment records. See pages
192-238.
NOTE: Mr. Angelo provided Ms. Von Harten with alternate email addresses. Mr.
Angelo sent emails from his district email related to his duties as Webmaster for
the Southwest Florida Orff Chapter. See pages 239-242.
NOTE: Mr. Angelo conducted various personal business using his district email
account. Mr. Angelo received emails regarding Verizon customer services, real
estate listings, and medical bill payment confirmation. Mr. Angelo corresponded
with parents of students regarding their Lego collections. Mr. Angelo received
solicitations from costume websites advertising, among other things, corsets. Mr.
Angelo received an email from a chat service named RightRussianLadies.com.
See pages 243-263.
Code of Ethics, Principles of Professional Conduct (Pages 264-266):

Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida is Florida

Administrative Code Rule 6A-10.080
Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida
is Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-10.081

School Board Policy 2.20 (Pages 267-269):

Titled, Acceptable Use Policy Governing Internet and Technology

Access

School Board Policy 2.202 (Pages 270-271):

Titled, Acceptable Use Policy Governing Student Use of Personal

Electronic Mobile Devices

School Board Policy 2.24 (Pages 272-274):

Titled, Advertising

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School Board Policy 4.01 (Page 275):

Titled, Learning Environment

School Board Policy 5.02 (Page 276):

Titled, Professional Standards

School Board Policy 5.33 (Page 277):

Titled, Personal Business on School Time

School Board Policy 5.35 (Page 278):

Titled, Outside Employment

School Board Policy 6.12 (Pages 279-280):

Titled, Inventories and Property Records

4/17/14, 2013-2014 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 281288)

3/26/13, 2012-2013 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 289296)
4/17/12, 2011-2012 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 297304)
6/30/11, 2010-2011 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 305311)
6/30/10, 2009-2010 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 312318)
4/24/09, 2008-2009 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 319)
5/6/08, 2007-2008 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 320)
6/30/07, 2006-2007 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Page 321)
6/30/06, 2005-2006 School Year Final Performance Assessment (Pages 322)

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Respectfully Submitted,
_________________________ Date____________
Will Rothenberg, J.D.
School District of Lee County

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