Rochester NH teacher in temper tantrum video loses job, not certified
ROCHESTER – A middle school teacher seen on a video screaming in the face of a student and slamming a door earlier this year is no longer employed by the Rochester School District, according to Superintendent Kyle Repucci. An investigation found problems with the district’s hiring of the teacher and reporting of the incident.
The video from the Jan. 31 incident at Rochester Middle School circulated widely in the community via social media.
The investigation found the teacher was not certified to teach in New Hampshire, though he was licensed in another state, according to the district. The investigation also revealed the district violated a duty to report the incident in a timely manner to the state Department of Education due to a delayed response by middle school administrators reporting the incident to the superintendent.
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“We are committing to doing the work necessary to correct any shortcomings in our hiring process, as well as improve and more thoroughly define our policies and procedures,” Repucci said in a prepared statement issued Friday.
Repucci declined an interview for this story, stating the press release is the district’s full response. Questions sent to Repucci sought information about the process that led to the uncertified teacher working in the district and other issues related to the reporting of the screaming incident.
The district announced the departure of the teacher in a press release issued Friday, explaining the result of an investigation. Repucci was made aware of the incident Saturday, Feb. 12, according to the press release.
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The district hired Comprehensive Investigations and Consulting to conduct the investigation. The teacher was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to the district.
School district’s disciplinary process was not followed
As a result of the administrative review, CIC determined the teacher violated both Rochester School District policies and New Hampshire Department of Education rules governing teacher-student conduct – in what CIC determined to be a departure from their otherwise consistently positive performance reviews, according to the press release.
CIC recommended progressive discipline, as outlined in the district’s collective bargaining agreement with the Rochester Federation of Teachers. However, CIC also determined the staff member did not obtain proper certification to teach in New Hampshire. While the employee is licensed in another state, the license is not recognized in New Hampshire and cannot be transferred to New Hampshire. As CIC found that the lack of licensure can not be easily remedied, the report ultimately concluded that the employee should no longer work in the Rochester schools, according to the press release.
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“The Rochester School District will – in accordance with the recommendations in the review – undertake deeper scrutiny of future applications for employment to ensure candidates and new hires are properly credentialed,” the prepared statement says. “Additionally, the Rochester School District has completed a review of all employees’ certifications through which they ensured they are proper and current.
“The Rochester School District will likewise work to refine its policies and procedures around initial reporting of similar incidents after CIC found that building administrators did not always fulfill their obligations under the state’s Duty to Report statute. The Duty to Report statute requires a school superintendent to report an incident like the one that occurred on Jan. 31 to the state. “
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By failing to inform the central office of the incident for 13 days, CIC found that the building administration did not adhere to the district’s disciplinary process, which impaired the district’s ability to report the incident to the Department of Education in a timely manner. The district, at CIC’s recommendation, stated it will work to better articulate its policies and procedures to ensure there are no gaps in reviewing and reporting similar incidents in the future.
“This review is an important first step in helping our district identify areas where we must improve, and beginning the process of making those improvements,” Repucci said in a prepared statement.