Redlands Unified HR director to resign with $500K+ settlement package

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands Unified School District’s longtime human resources director, Sabine Robertson-Phillips, will resign and collect approximately half a million dollars under a settlement agreement approved by the school board last month.

Why it matters: Robertson-Phillips has been a central figure in media investigations and public scrutiny over the district’s handling of sexual abuse scandals for years. Her settlement and resignation come one year after the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights completed a major Title IX compliance review of the district.

Details of settlement:  The agreement, approved unanimously by the school board on April 22, allows Robertson-Phillips, 54, to remain on paid leave until Sept. 1, when her resignation and retirement will take effect.

According to the settlement, obtained by public record request by Community Forward Redlands, she has been on paid leave since April 2024, receiving approximately $25,000 per month.

Under the terms of the agreement:

• She will receive a lump-sum payout of about $260,000 to cover the remaining value of her contract through June 2026.
• She will also be paid an additional $150,000 to settle a legal claim against the district
• She will cash out 44 days of vacation, plus be eligible for retiree medical benefits.

The settlement states that no findings of misconduct were made and includes language specifying that neither party admits wrongdoing.

District officials have not commented on the settlement.

Federal investigations, legal claims set stage for settlement

Robertson-Phillips was put on leave in April 25, 2024, the same day the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) released a report finding the district failed to properly respond to 75% of the reviewed sexual abuse complaints between 2017 and 2020.

OCR investigators found that Redlands Unified failed to investigate or adequately address employee-to-student and student-to-student sexual assault allegations, leaving students vulnerable. A 20-page letter sent to Redlands Unified School District Superintendent Juan Cabral noted that many of these issues possibly resulted from inadequately training the district's Title IX coordinator. 

A separate investigation by the California Department of Justice determined that the school district violated multiple laws, including Title IX, the Child Abuse and Neglect and Reporting Act (CANRA), and provisions of the California Education Code. 

As part of the stipulated judgment reached in May 2024, the district is now subject to a minimum of five years of court and Attorney General oversight. The district is required to implement systemic reforms to ensure timely prevention, investigation and resolution of sexual harassment and assault on campus.

In a legal claim filed in September 2024, Robertson-Phillips alleged that the administrative leave and internal review were "discriminatory and retaliatory." The district denied those allegations.  

The settlement states, "No findings of misconduct were made following the District's review of the matter," and clarifies that the agreement "does not constitute an admission or finding of liability, misconduct or wrongdoing by either Employee or Employer."

Background: Years of scandal, reforms, and leadership shifts

Robertson-Phillips' resignation marks the latest development in a years-long crisis over how Redlands Unified handled sexual abuse complaints.

She had previously faced criticism for her role in the district’s response to several high-profile cases, including the 2013 investigation of Citrus Valley High School teacher Laura Whitehurst, who became pregnant by a student and later pleaded guilty to six felony counts.

According to law enforcement testimony reported by Southern California News Group in 2018, Robertson-Phillips was allegedly seen deleting files from her computer and instructing staff not to cooperate with police during the Whitehurst investigation.

The district has paid more than $45 million in settlements to former students since 2016. Investigations by the OCR and the California DOJ have documented repeated systemic failures in the district’s handling of abuse complaints and mandated reporting procedures.

In July 2024, the school board approved Dr. Rudy Wilson as assistant superintendent of compliance as part of the resolution agreement with the OCR.

Acting Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Lisa Nakamura-Bruich has led the department since October 2024.