A California high school teacher was caught berating her students because she was reportedly upset some parents were pushing for in-person schooling.
In the video, which has been shared online, San Marcos High School teacher Alissa Piro raises her voice and expresses her frustration about parents who are advocating for students to go back to classrooms, saying she doesn’t tell professionals how to do their jobs if she’s not qualified for them.
Piro has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, according to a statement from superintendent Tiffany Campbell provided to the Washington Examiner.
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“If your parent wants to talk to me about their profession and their opinion on their profession, I would love to hear that,” she said. “However, if your parent wants to come talk to me about how I’m not doing a good enough job in distance learning based on what you need as an individual? Just dare them to come at me. Because I am so sick to my stomach of parents trying to tell educators how to do their job.”
Newly released video of a @SanMarcosUSD HS teacher going off on students and their parents over distance learning and other issues. Originally posted to FB. Apparently this is a common occurrence. pic.twitter.com/pjEN80kLNh
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) April 12, 2021
In another clip, Piro can be heard rebuking a student for inquiring about a “white student union.”
A mother of a student said she brought the videos of Piro to the principal’s attention, and he called the remarks “inexcusable,” according to Fox News.
“As a school district, San Marcos Unified firmly believes that positive relationships and a strong sense of community connect students to learning; that teachers who challenge and care for students make a significant impact on students’ lives; and that excellence is attained when we accept only the best from every individual in our learning community,” Campbell stated.
The superintendent added administrators were “deeply concerned” about the video.
“This is a matter that we take very seriously and it is receiving our highest scrutiny,” she continued. “As a personnel issue that is under investigation, and consistent with District practice, we are limited in the amount of information that we can share. The employee has been placed on administrative leave and will be afforded due process and privacy rights.”
Stacy Carlson, the president of the San Marcos Unified School District governing board, and representatives from the San Marcos Educators Association did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
Last week, a group of parents in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court to force the Los Angeles Unified School District to reopen schools and to prevent it from enforcing 6-foot social distancing protocols and mandatory student testing provisions, which the group argues are unduly standing in the way of reopening.
The district will start bringing students back to the classroom in a small number of the classrooms beginning April 13 and will expand reopenings in subsequent weeks, but the schools will follow a staggered schedule, offering half-time, on-campus learning for elementary students. The district will also provide supervised online instruction on campus for middle and high school students, though the complaint argues that the protocols do not stand up to legal scrutiny or follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
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Schools across the nation closed down last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Schools went to virtual education, and some have restarted in-person education. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last Tuesday that his state is hoping to reopen fully by June 15.
