Tom Alessandri’s death this summer prompted an outpouring of grief. Former students called the Bellarmine Prep theater and English teacher a beloved mentor, a father figure and all-around legend. The private Jesuit boys school in San Jose live-streamed his memorial service and announced plans to christen its new $30 million theater in his honor. But not everyone was so enamored with the late “T.A.,” as he was known to friends and students. In an essay penned anonymously and published on Medium, one former pupil—a Notre Dame High School student who used to act in plays at Bellarmine—called Alessandri a predator. “I am enraged,” the column began before describing in gut-wrenching detail how T.A. allegedly used his position of authority to groom her into having a sexual relationship with him. The piece originally ended with a resounding indictment: “Fuck you, Tom Alessandri.” By the time Medium forced the scribe to replace his name with initials, the post had already garnered thousands of views. Fly struck up a correspondence with the author, who declined to put her name on the record but spoke candidly in phone interviews about how Alessandri’s death reopened old wounds. Perhaps sensing a legal challenge, Bellarmine responded to the woman as well. “It sounds as if this was a very painful experience for you,” Principal Kristina Luscher wrote in a July 10 email. “Are you interested in meeting to discuss how/if we might be a part of your healing process?” Doubtful of their sincerity, the woman followed up her initial post with yet another one earlier this month. In the Aug. 14 follow-up, she wrote in equally intimate detail about how the school lionizing her alleged abuser continued to re-traumatize her. She also noted that a number of other victims had since come out of the woodwork. Her writing once again made the rounds, but this time it apparently ignited enough backlash to get Bellarmine to quietly drop the idea of naming its theater after Alessandri. When Fly asked campus officials about the decision, they declined to go into detail. “We take these allegations very seriously,” Bellarmine Vice Principal Brian Adams said. “And out of respect for all involved, we have decided not to move forward with the naming of the theater.”

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The Fly is a weekly column written by San Jose Inside staff that provides a behind-the-scenes look at local politics.