The family of longtime California sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert says she has been left distraught after the Sacramento City Unified School District reassigned her for pulling up carpet in her classroom that covered asbestos tiles.
“It absolutely devastated her,” her father, Tim O’Brien, told PEOPLE. “Usually when I talk to her, she’s jovial and friendly. But I can’t talk to her about this to an extent without having tears come to her eyes.”
The incident occurred toward the end of last school year at Phoebe Hearst Elementary, following a flea infestation, according to reports from KCRA and KXTV. Parents said Rupert, 48, pulled up part of the carpet in her classroom during the cleanup.
The district later stated that the carpet had been covering asbestos tiles, which, if disturbed, could pose serious health risks such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. It is unclear whether Rupert was aware of the asbestos before removing the carpet.
Parents and Rupert’s family maintain that she had asked the district multiple times to replace the carpeting, but her requests went unanswered. Eventually, Rupert and some students removed it themselves, KCRA reported.
“The carpet in her classroom was a clear hazard,” Rupert’s sister, Kathryn O’Brien, told PEOPLE in an email. “It was worn, unsanitary, was recently infested with fleas, and put the children at risk for tripping and falling. All of which the district was keenly aware of for many years.
“My sister did what a caring teacher ought to do – she tried to fix the problem. Teachers are asked to show initiative and fix problems every single day, and [now] she’s being unreasonably punished in a wildly disproportionate manner.”
District spokesperson Brian Heap previously told KXTV that covering asbestos tiles with carpet is a “standard” practice and poses no threat as long as the tiles remain intact.
A statement shared with KCRA on Sept. 4 said an investigation determined “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.”
Although officials initially considered allowing Rupert to return if she helped pay for carpet replacement, Tim O’Brien said the district ultimately reassigned her to another school.
“She’s been part of the Phoebe Hearst community for 23 years,” he said. “She’s developed a very good reputation there. She has a great following. The teachers, the parents love her. The kids love her. To have her being yanked out, it really hurt her.”
Kathryn O’Brien also claimed that two male teachers had previously removed carpeting from their classrooms without consequences.
Rupert and her husband have four children, two of whom are sixth graders at Phoebe Hearst. “They’d go to school with their mom and come home with their mom,” Tim said. “They really don’t understand what’s going on. And it’s tough on them, too.”
Parents and students have protested the reassignment. On Sept. 11, they demonstrated outside district offices, KXTV reported. Days later, on Sept. 17, Phoebe Hearst’s sixth graders walked out of class and joined their parents in protest.
In response, 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.”
Heap later told PEOPLE 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. 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.”
He continued, “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.”
According to Kathryn, Rupert is “incredibly distraught over this,” and her former students have since been taught by a series of substitutes while the district looks for a replacement.
Tim O’Brien said his daughter is currently on sick leave from her reassigned school. Meanwhile, Rupert’s mother recently suffered a stroke amid the controversy.
