San Diego Unified School District is feeling the heat from parents who claim one of their teachers is bullying students.
Marcos Salazar is the sixth grade Math and Science teacher at Longfellow School in Clairemont.
On March 7, the San Diego Unified School Board heard emotional testimonies from parents, who said their kids are suffering from anxiety, and falling behind in school.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, one of the parents is taking their case to court.
Maritza McEvoy’s daughter had Salazar as a teacher three years ago, when she was in the first grade.
"It was the third week and she was crying everyday, and she couldn't tell me why. She was only 6," McEvoy said.
She added that Salazar did not engage the kids enough, and gave them assignments to read and write on their own for 45 minutes at a time. She requested to take her daughter out of his classroom.
Local
Three weeks later she was in a different classroom.
“I just felt like I was that smart and I wasn't going to pass. I didn't feel that great”, said McEvoy’s young daughter.
But some parents told NBC 7 they are confident in the school administration and staff.
"He has always been cordial polite and kind. That is all we know of him," said parent John Clark, of Salazar.
Longfellow School principal Diane Sanchez said this in a statement:
“The issues raised by parents are very serious, and we have moved quickly to answer their concerns. At the start of this calendar year, we added a second teacher to the classroom to ensure students continue to get the maximum level of high quality instruction, which our parent community has come to expect at Longfellow. This disruption is not reflective of the warm and welcoming community we have worked hard to create at Longfellow. For that reason, we will continue working to find a solution that works for all parents, students and professional educators involved.”
