‘It didn’t have to go that far’: Hopewell parents react to leaked voice recording of fed-up Hopewell High teacher
HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Parents of children enrolled in Hopewell City Public Schools are making their voices heard after a voice recording of a Hopewell High School teacher losing her temper with her students was shared online. A Hopewell City Public Schools parent took to Facebook Tuesday night and posted a video of the recording, which reveals the teacher's frustrations with their class. The blacked-out video is about 40 seconds long and, in it, the teacher uses a significant amount of profanity and demands that her class "shut up." The post got mixed views in its comment section, with some parents agreeing with the teacher's actions and others fully against it. The 8News team took to Hopewell to hear from parents directly. "I’m mind blown by the whole situation -- I’m mind blown," said Bianca White, one such parent. Bianca White has two children in Hopewell elementary schools and works in the mental health profession. She said she believes mental health played a role in the incident. "I feel like, if she was having a rough day, she could have just said, 'Hey, I can't work today,'" Bianca White said. "I feel like, at the end of the day, she could have [taken] a 15 [minute break,] or just literally [used] less cuss words." Salecia White was too stunned when she first heard the recording. Her daughter is a senior at Hopewell High School. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, why is she talking to other children like that? She shouldn’t do that,'" she said. “If you’re going to be professional, be professional. It didn’t have to go that far. She should’ve just walked out the classroom and gotten the principal -- it would have been solved better.” Hopewell City Public School officials took to the school division's Facebook page to address the situation, providing the following statement: "We are aware of the report of an audio recording of a teacher at Hopewell High School yesterday in which the teacher’s comments in frustration towards students were entirely inappropriate. This matter is being addressed immediately through our personnel procedures. We apologize to the students, parents, and community. Please know these actions are wholly inconsistent with how we feel about our students and it will be handled accordingly." Hopewell City Public Schools The school district did not go in-depth about the consequences of the teacher's actions, or if they will face any at all. This is a developing story. Stick with 8News both on air and online for updates.
VENN
HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Parents of children enrolled in Hopewell City Public Schools are making their voices heard after a voice recording of a Hopewell High School teacher losing her temper with her students was shared online.
A Hopewell City Public Schools parent took to Facebook Tuesday night and posted a video of the recording, which reveals the teacher's frustrations with their class. The blacked-out video is about 40 seconds long and, in it, the teacher uses a significant amount of profanity and demands that her class "shut up."
The post got mixed views in its comment section, with some parents agreeing with the teacher's actions and others fully against it.
The 8News team took to Hopewell to hear from parents directly.
"I’m mind blown by the whole situation -- I’m mind blown," said Bianca White, one such parent.
Bianca White has two children in Hopewell elementary schools and works in the mental health profession. She said she believes mental health played a role in the incident.
"I feel like, if she was having a rough day, she could have just said, 'Hey, I can't work today,'" Bianca White said. "I feel like, at the end of the day, she could have [taken] a 15 [minute break,] or just literally [used] less cuss words."
Salecia White was too stunned when she first heard the recording. Her daughter is a senior at Hopewell High School.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, why is she talking to other children like that? She shouldn’t do that,'" she said. “If you’re going to be professional, be professional. It didn’t have to go that far. She should’ve just walked out the classroom and gotten the principal -- it would have been solved better.”
Hopewell City Public School officials took to the school division's Facebook page to address the situation, providing the following statement:
"We are aware of the report of an audio recording of a teacher at Hopewell High School yesterday in which the teacher’s comments in frustration towards students were entirely inappropriate. This matter is being addressed immediately through our personnel procedures. We apologize to the students, parents, and community. Please know these actions are wholly inconsistent with how we feel about our students and it will be handled accordingly." Hopewell City Public Schools
The school district did not go in-depth about the consequences of the teacher's actions, or if they will face any at all.
This is a developing story. Stick with 8News both on air and online for updates.
