On March 1, Britton Middle School social studies teacher George Karr grabbed his student Jeremy Garcia, 14, by his shirt, and told the student that he hated him.
In the police report filed by mother Irma Ramos, it says Karr grabbed Garcia “out of frustration” and told him “I hate you.” He then immediately left the classroom and self reported the incident to Britton Middle School Principal Glen Webb. Webb assigned the school counselor to take over the classroom and dismissed Karr.
“(Webb) reported the incident to the (Morgan Hill Unified School District) personnel division. Karr has not returned to work and a substitute has taken over the class until the investigation is complete,” reads the police report obtained by the Times.
The incident occurred in classroom No. 3, when Karr assigned a quiz and told students to switch papers after a timer went off to peer-correct the quiz. Students began switching the tests before the timer went off.
“So befor(e) it went of(f) people switch the test and he got mad so he started screaming at (another student) and then he went to me and grab me my (by sweater) and pulled it and put his hand up into a fist and told (students name) he hated me so he left,” reads a witness statement form written by Garcia. The statement also said Garcia thought Karr was joking and so he laughed, but it was not a joke, says the statement.
Garcia sits in the front row of the class, said Ramos. Ramos said Wednesday that she switched Garcia out of Karr’s class permanently. She removed him from the rest of the day at school March 1 and 2. In the report, it says she believes Karr is suspended because there has been a substitute teacher ever since the incident. Garcia has since returned to school and is doing well, says the report.
Ramos said she does not want to file charges against the teacher, which is considered a battery assault, but wants “Karr to be disciplined appropriately through the MHUSD” says the police report. She empathized Wednesday that she does not want this to happen to other children.
Citing personnel matters, MHUSD human resources department has declined to comment on the incident, nor has Webb. Karr has not responded to emails for comment.
