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Nebo School District 

350 S Main Street 
Spanish Fork, UT 84660 
 
August 8, 2018  
 
Nebo School District: 
 
As parents of children who attend(ed) Santaquin Elementary in the Nebo School District, We 
would like the following concerns addressed about the recent arrest of district employee Adrian 
Villar: 
1. Clarification of Nebo School District’s policy regarding the notification of parents in regards 
to events that happen with their students during school hours. Are there mandatory events that 
require parental notification, or is it left up to the discretion of individual school’s 
administration? 
We believe it is imperative that all parents be contacted if there is physical harm, emotional 
distress, or any incidents that raise concern with faculty or staff (e.g. policy violations). While 
the specific nature of the questions asked by Sierra Bonita administration to the student in the 
alleged incident have not been released, it is critical that children are not asked specific, detailed, 
or probing questions (especially in regards to sexual abuse) without parental consent and/or in 
their presence. 
It is clear in the case of Adrian Villar, that while the student’s teacher, Mrs. Janna Slye, didn’t 
have irrefutable proof of any abuse or even a strong suspicion, she did witness an inappropriate 
boundary invasion which is prohibited according to NEBO SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF 
EDUCATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SECTION G. Mrs. Slye felt enough concern to 
bring the matter to the attention of administration. At that time, the school reviewed the 
surveillance video and questioned the student (per email from Nebo School District), all the 
while failing to alert the parents of the involved student about the issue. 
If the school administration had contacted the parents of the student about the incident with 
Adrian Villar, it is quite possible that the duration in which Adrian Villar was employed by the 
district after engaging in alleged criminal behavior could have been drastically shortened. This 
theory is supported by the fact that once the parents were notified by Mrs. Slye (not by the 
school principal or district) in February 2018, they sought police involvement. 
Not informing parents and police earlier shows negligent behavior on the school district’s part. 
Proper informing might have resulted in Adrian Villar’s arrest happening a year earlier, and 
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Santaquin Elementary students would never have been put at risk. More importantly, further 
abuse/grooming could have been averted-- instead, transferring a potentially harmful employee 
to a different area occurred. 
We know that Mrs. Slye found adequate cause and justification for concern, and this 
should have served as a sufficient impetus for notifying the parents of the child involved in 
the incident. 
2.  When  a  situation  occurs  in  which  a  faculty/staff  member  of a school is arrested for abuse of a 
child  on  school  property,  the  issue  needs  to  be  addressed  more  thoroughly  than  in  an  emailed 
timeline.  More  specifically,  the  school  district  should  be  obligated  to  provide  parents  with  (at  a 
minimum): 
* appropriate questions to ask children who may have been exposed to possible abuse or 
grooming 
* resources available to parents and students in the school, district, and community 
The minimal response and support from Nebo School District makes it appear as if you are 
ignoring the issue in order to avoid culpability. The primary concern and objective of Nebo 
School District in regards to this incident should be providing assistance to identify possible 
additional victims affected, directing them in getting the help they need, and providing resources 
that will prevent future cases of abuse. Please do more to educate and protect the children you 
are responsible for. 
 
Additional Questions: 
1. Mrs. Slye asserts that Mr. Villar was ​already ​in the bathroom with the student when he got the 
call from the office. This directly contradicts the timeline provided by the school. Is the district 
able to provide evidence that supports your version of events? Even if Mr. Villar was responding 
to a call from the office, he should not have been alone in the bathroom with a child. 
Mrs. Slye also maintains there were statements made by the head secretary, the skills coach, and 
herself—all of whom were present and involved on February 14, 2017; and those statements are 
in line with the video surveillance that was recorded that day. However, these statements 
contradicted Villar’s statement, but ironically, it’s his statement that is in line with the timeline 
the district provided to parents. Why was the testimony of three staff members and video 
surveillance discounted for the testimony of the accused? 
2. Nebo School Districts asserts, "Police conducted an investigation and later notified Nebo 
School District that no charges would be filed and that this complaint was unfounded.” Is Nebo 
School District able to provide corroboration from the Spanish Fork Police Department 
supporting this? It seems unlikely charges were unfounded since Villar was arrested three 
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months later on the same charges that were being investigated in February. 
3. It is currently understood that after police turned available evidence over to the Utah County 
Attorney, the determination was made that there was an insufficient burden of proof to prosecute 
Mr. Villar, but ​not​ the assertion of his innocence. Additionally, while there may not have been 
enough evidence to pursue legal action, there was possible justification for termination of 
employment. What is the rationale for retaining an employee who had multiple violations of 
prohibited adult-to-student conduct? 
4. A tenured teacher reported observing several incidents of inappropriate boundary 
invasions/prohibited adult-to-student conduct. Why were her concerns so easily dismissed?  
After the same teacher (Janna Slye) alerted the principal by email, she received his response via 
iPhone message. In regards to the inappropriate behavior of Villar it states, “I was aware of 
[another student] but not [this student].” The principal’s response suggests that he had already 
been alerted to a possible problem with the custodian through another source. This makes the 
teacher’s concerns even more valid, and should have caused stronger suspicion from the 
principal. 
The very nature of a school environment (which puts adults in a position of trust and influence 
with young children) requires a more aggressive and intense investigation of allegations than 
appears to have occurred in the case of Adrian Villar. It is critical that accusations aren’t easily 
dismissed based on personal relationships and subjective perceptions of an individual. It is 
extremely challenging to make impartial judgments concerning an employee/friend when it 
comes to sexual abuse. 
After the district’s HR department insinuated Mrs. Slye acted incorrectly when reporting the 
incident, it should be noted that Mrs. Slye states that she apologized to Sierra Bonita principal 
Garrett Anderson for anything she said that was misconstrued or exaggerated, although she 
maintains that she saw and heard what she reported. 
More weight should have been given to Mrs. Slye’s opinion, and the school should have been 
required to submit concerns immediately to an independent, outside source such as DCFS or the 
police department. When it concerns the safety of our students, it is imperative to err on the side 
of caution instead of relying on one’s ability to determine guilt or innocence based on intuition. 
5. What documents are Nebo School District legally obligated or allowed to release to the public 
concerning Adrian Villar? If legally possible, when the investigation is complete, all incident 
reports, video surveillance, and actions taken should be made available. 
6. Was Chad Argyle, principal of Santaquin Elementary, instructed or influenced by Nebo 
School District to hire Adrian Villar? Was Mr. Argyle given the full scope of information 
concerning Adrian Villar’s investigation and discipline, including both the February 2017 and 
March 2017 incidents? (Dodson, B. 2018, June 12. ​Records Show That School Custodian, 
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Counselor Had Been Reprimanded For Behavior Prior to Arrests.​ Daily Herald.) It seems 
unlikely that he would choose to hire someone with such serious allegations against him over 
other possible candidates on his own accord. 
According to Mrs. Slye, on March 16, 2017, she was at a meeting with district HR officials 
discussing this matter when she was told that Villar had requested a transfer to Santaquin 
Elementary. This is another discrepancy in the district timeline that suggested Adrian Villar 
applied to Santaquin Elementary in May 2017. 
Parents are justifiably alarmed at the transfer of Adrian Villar to Santaquin Elementary, and our 
trust in Nebo School District has been shaken. We would like to believe that Nebo School 
District is taking steps to prevent this kind of situation from happening in the future rather than 
just shuffling the problem to a different school and hoping it goes away. What actions are being 
taken by Nebo School District to assure parents that a similar issue will not occur in the future? 
7. According to a copy of a letter addressed to the district HR director by Mrs. Slye, “On March 
17, 2017, I received a phone call from my UEA rep... instructing me that I was required to ask 
for a transfer from Sierra Bonita or else you ... would make sure I was transferred from Sierra 
Bonita for the following school year.” The letter goes on to say, “I found your demeanor to be 
fairly hostile towards me.” The letter maintains that the HR director told Mrs. Slye’s attorney 
what school she would be transferring to, but there was no communication about it to her 
personally. Two months later she received an email from her new principal informing her of her 
demotion from mentor teacher to a classroom teacher. 
Why would HR personnel treat a teacher in this manner (which is clearly against district policy 
10.3.3.) when her only actions were to report suspicious behavior between a custodian and a 
student (which she was obligated to do per her training) and her desire for parents to be alerted to 
the behavior? (Nebo Certified Employee Handbook. P. 29) There should be no HR retribution 
when a teacher is performing due diligence. Clearly, the Spanish Fork Police Department and 
Utah County Attorney have found sufficient evidence to charge Adrian Villar with two felony 
counts and one misdemeanor, backing up the Mrs. Slye’s initial report and continued assertions. 
What actions will the district take to restore Mrs. Slye’s reputation and prior teaching status? 
What will be done to ensure that an employee won’t be vilified, demoted, and transferred for 
following up on his/her duty to report inappropriate actions of a fellow employee? Mrs. Slye’s 
continued persistence in achieving a proper investigation should be commended, not 
discouraged. 
8. What action is being taken in regards to those employees who knew about the incidents but 
did not inform police or the involved children's parents? 
9. Why is Adrian Villar still listed as the custodian for Santaquin Elementary on their website? Is 
he still a district employee? Nebo District spokesperson Lana Hiskey’s response to 2News on 
Friday stating she did not know if Villar's employment status has changed seems rather 
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disingenuous. (Harris, J. 2018, July 27. ​Nebo School District Custodian Charged With Sexually 
Abusing Children​. KUTV.com) 
She stated that “[Villar’s] status could not be checked until Monday.” In light of the updated 
photos of the new principal and teachers, it is highly doubtful that Villar’s staff photo remaining 
on the school website is a mere oversight. We are opposed to Adrian Villar remaining a district 
employee, and we request official confirmation that his employment has been terminated. There 
is absolutely no circumstance where he should be working around our children. 
We put the well-being of our children as our highest priority. We rely on the school district and 
our individual school administration to provide a safe environment for our children. We advocate 
for transparency and responsibility from Nebo School District. What assurances will you give 
that this is being done? 
These questions need to be addressed without delay. We look forward to receiving your answers 
promptly. 
Sincerely, 
The Concerned Parents of Santaquin Elementary Students 
 
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The Concerned Parents of Sierra Bonita Elementary Students, who have read and agree with the 
letter as stated above: