Amador Valley High School principal resigns after probe finds Grindr contact with student, messages referencing 'Secret School Tryst'

In a disappointing incident, public records reveal that Jonathan M. Fey, 54, principal of Amador Valley High School, East Bay, in the Pleasanton Unified School District, has resigned as part of a settlement after an investigation found enough evidence that he used an online app to discuss sex with both a former and a current student, at one point suggesting a 'secret school tryst', as reported by EdSource.

Fey, who had been with the district since 2022, was informed on February 28 of his termination after spending months on administrative leave. He initially appealed the decision but ultimately accepted a $254,000 settlement last week covering legal fees and back pay.

The probe into former Amador Valley High School principal Fey began after a former student accused him of engaging in sexual conversations through the dating app Grindr. A second individual later came forward, claiming Fey had also contacted him on the app while he was still enrolled at the school.



According to EdSource, the district’s investigative report includes screenshots of messages allegedly sent by Fey from a Grindr account under the name 'eyes emoji'.

"I really have always liked you," said the Grindr user 'eyes emoji', in the communications shown in the report as quoted by EdSource. "Didn’t you notice last year I would go out of my way to say hi or smile every time I saw you?"

"Face it, ur good looking. You have a subtle fem side to you that is extremely appealing to me," he says at another point in the communications. "I’m not sure why; but I felt like you had a confidence about yourself and who you were as a person. I felt like getting to know you and the source of that strength, your story would help me be a better person."

According to the investigation, one student told authorities that shortly after he began chatting with the Grindr user 'eyes emoji', Fey followed him on Instagram the next day - something the student believed was not a coincidence.

Another complainant, a current Amador Valley High student at the time, reported that Fey, through the same "eyes emoji" account, had written, "There’s a part of me that would love a secret school tryst."

"The allegations made against me are false," Fey said in a written statement issued by a San Jose public relations firm.

According to EdSource, Fey denied being behind the 'eyes emoji' account, asserting that his identity had been stolen. His attorney argued in court documents that Amador Valley High students had previously impersonated others online. Meanwhile, another former student told investigators she once saw Fey’s phone displaying the Grindr app while he was chaperoning a school event.

Following previous sexual abuse scandals, as reported by EdSource, California law mandates that school districts report to the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing within 30 days whenever a credentialed educator resigns or is suspended for over 10 days due to misconduct allegations. The report must include all related findings - in Jonathan Fey’s case, the investigator’s determination of probable cause for sexual solicitation.

The commission then conducts its own review, which could lead to revocation of the educator’s credential, barring future employment in public education. Pleasanton school board president Brown confirmed that the district will submit the required report and comply fully with state procedures.