A well-liked sixth-grade teacher was moved from her California school after removing a carpet in her classroom, sparking protests and a student-parent walkout.
The issue began at the end of last school year at Sacramento’s Phoebe Hearst Elementary when the school faced a flea problem, NBC affiliate KCRA and ABC affiliate KXTV reported. According to parents, the teacher, Rupert, pulled up part of the carpet at that time.
The Sacramento City Unified School District said the carpet covered tiles containing asbestos, which can cause health problems such as lung cancer and mesothelioma if exposed. It is unclear if Rupert knew about the asbestos before removing the carpet.
Brian Heap, a spokesperson for the district, told KXTV that he spoke with the district’s facilities team, who said that “having asbestos tiles underneath carpet is a pretty standard way that this has been handled over time, in terms of being able to kind of cover up those asbestos tiles and keep them from being exposed.”
He added, “As long as they are not broken or damaged, they aren’t posing any kind of a safety threat to people.”
Parents said Rupert had asked the district multiple times to remove the carpet, but her requests were reportedly ignored, so she and some students removed it themselves, KCRA reported.
“It actually made a lot of sense to me that she would rip up her carpet,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent whose two children attend Phoebe Hearst, to KXTV.
“I don’t think she was thinking of it as destroying property; I think she was thinking of it like, ‘I’m just going to replace this with the tile underneath,’ ” Beckett added.
In a statement to KCRA on Sept. 4, the district said its investigation found that “none of asbestos tiles underneath the classroom carpet had been damaged when students were present. The removal of the carpet did not cause a disturbance that would cause exposure to asbestos.
“Nonetheless, now that the investigation is complete, District staff will begin the process of reaching out to individual families to reassure them of their student’s safety and provide any necessary support,” the statement added.
Despite this, Rupert — who taught at Phoebe Hearst for 20 years — was reportedly transferred to another school, upsetting students and parents.
“Our school is heartbroken, and I think it will break the Phoebe spirit,” Beckett told KXTV.
On Sept. 11, students protested Rupert’s reassignment outside the district’s offices, chanting “Bring back Rupert!” and holding signs that said “We want Mrs. Rupert back!” and “Phoebe needs Rupert,” KXTV reported.
PEOPLE could not immediately reach Rupert for comment, but her mother said at the protest that her daughter “misses her classroom” and “she loves those kids.”
“Jeanine couldn’t be here today because of the restrictions that have been put on her,” her father said. “But she would like to thank all the people for the support.”
In a statement to KCRA about the protest, the district said: “The Board remains confident in our personnel process and in our staff’s commitment to serving the best interests of our organization and community.”
On Sept. 17, Phoebe Hearst’s sixth-grade students walked out of class to continue protesting Rupert’s reassignment, and they demonstrated alongside their parents.
Heap said the district does not comment on personnel matters but added, “After a District investigation, the decision was made to reassign the teacher to a different school.”
He explained, “In general, there are times that after a lapse in judgment has occurred, what is best for both the teacher and the impacted school community is a separation and fresh start. Throughout this process, we have heard families and given thoughtful consideration to their concerns.”
He also said, “While we are not changing any of our decisions, we continue to value the passion and enthusiastic support that families provide to Phoebe Hearst Elementary.”
District superintendent Lisa Allen shared a similar message to families during the controversy.
“I want to assure you that throughout this process, we have heard your voices and given thoughtful consideration to your concerns,” she said, KCRA reported. “While we are not changing any of our decisions, we also value the passion and enthusiastic support that families provide that help make Phoebe Hearst special.”
