Vallejo teachers on leave for talk about students
Two teachers at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo were placed on administrative leave last week following an outcry from parents over a recording in which the teachers can be heard making disparaging remarks about students, some of whom they mentioned by name.
The incident happened Thursday, apparently after the teachers thought a class period had ended. But a video recording captured the teachers criticizing students, calling them “technologically illiterate,” and was posted on Facebook the next day. In the recording, a teacher is heard saying, “Older staff members will say these kids are so technologically ad
vanced ... and I’m like, ‘ No, they’re f— not.’ ”
They continue: “The things that impress them are so sad. Oh, you’re impressed that a kid can record a TikTok? ... It’s literally one button.”
Vallejo Unified School District officials said the two teachers heard in the recording did not “properly” log out of the distancelearning platform at the end of class, and their negative remarks were heard by students and parents. The district said at least one student in the class recorded the conversation and shared the audio with other students. The teachers, whom the district has not identified, were placed on leave on Friday.
Chanel Bonner, the mother of a 10thgrade boy at the school, posted the video to Facebook and said she “did not appreciate what was said about ( her) son.” Bonner said she plans to pursue legal action.
Bonner said her son had asked his thirdperiod English teacher if he could resubmit an assignment. After a brief back and forth, her son was still confused. After class ended, he waved his mother over to the computer, and they both heard the teacher talking about the incident. They began recording the conversation.
“Teachers are supposed to uplift students, not talk down to them or degrade them,” Bonner said. “What upset me the most was that he sat there and talked about my baby to another staff member.”
The two teachers used profanity heavily during their conversation as students logged in and out of class during the passing period, Bonner said. Parents began commenting online, letting the instructors know that they were still logged in and unmuted.
In an interview with The Chronicle on Monday, Bonner said her son was “discouraged,” and he does not want the teacher to continue teaching at the school. Bonner said she was contacted by school officials, who offered an apology, and asked her to take down the video due to legal issues.
Officials with the school district said in a statement that they “will evaluate our policies and procedures for online instruction, and will address any specific complaints regarding the appropriate conduct of our faculty and staff.” They added that they “regret that any students were offended by this incident, and we will work carefully to resolve this matter.”