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A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him. The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School. “While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.”We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone .”KCRA 3 spoke with Singh after he was given the notice.“In this situation, it’s justifiable that folks are mad because there’s two teachers: one teacher that has been removed to a different school site, and we have another one who has administrative leave pending an investigation. And I just cannot speak about those investigative matters. And it puts me in a difficult spot for our community,” he said.The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting. “My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked. Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.“Part of the issue is that we have, I won’t say half-truths, but limited information that the community gets. And the district is unable to put out further information on a personnel matter because of the legalities,” Singh said.Singh said he has called for an independent investigation into Henrikson’s case. He also said he plans to meet with the community in the coming weeks to discuss the situation with the families of the 66 students directly affected.Meanwhile, parents are preparing to collect signatures for the recall once the paperwork is certified.Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him.
The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School.
“While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”
Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.
“We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone [who will].”
KCRA 3 spoke with Singh after he was given the notice.
“In this situation, it’s justifiable that folks are mad because there’s two teachers: one teacher that has been removed to a different school site, and we have another one who has administrative leave pending an investigation. And I just cannot speak about those investigative matters. And it puts me in a difficult spot for our community,” he said.
The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting.
“My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked.
Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.
Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.
Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”
However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.
“Part of the issue is that we have, I won’t say half-truths, but limited information that the community gets. And the district is unable to put out further information on a personnel matter because of the legalities,” Singh said.
Singh said he has called for an independent investigation into Henrikson’s case. He also said he plans to meet with the community in the coming weeks to discuss the situation with the families of the 66 students directly affected.
Meanwhile, parents are preparing to collect signatures for the recall once the paperwork is certified.
Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
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