Teacher who blasted students and parents concerned about distance learning gets suspended — and uglier accusations emerge: 'She ... called me a moron'



The California high school teacher caught on Zoom blasting students and their parents who are concerned about distance learning has been suspended pending an investigation, Fox News reported — and additional accusations about her behavior have emerged.

What's the background?

Alissa Piro, an English teacher at San Marcos High School, told her students that parents with concerns about her performance amid distance learning can "come at me."

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @ReopenCASchools

"If your parent wants to talk to me about their profession and their opinion on their profession, I would love to hear that," she said during a video session. "I know very little about anything else in the other world other than education."

Piro then added that "if your parent wants to come talk to me about how I'm not doing a good enough job in distance learning based on what you need as an individual — just dare them to come at me. Because I am so sick to my stomach of parents trying to tell educators how to do their job."

Another clip showed Piro hollering at a student who inquired about forming a "white student union" amid other clubs being formed on the basis of race — to which she replied, "You don't need a white student union, Jace! You get everything!"

Students, parents fire back

That student — Jace Jonas — told Fox News that Piro's outburst came after he wrote in the Zoom chat box on the heels of a school announcement regarding the formation of an Asian student union.

"I wanted to make a comment in the Zoom text box, not disrupting the class," Jonas told the cable network. "I commented, 'Why do some races get student unions but others do not?' We should have a student union for all races or no races for true equality."

Jonas told Fox News that Piro paused her lesson before shouting "Goddammit."

"She started berating me about how as a white male I get everything, and it's my duty to look out for minorities and all these racist remarks against whites and males," he recalled to the cable network. "She later called me a moron."

To make matters worse, Fox News said some students sent Jonas hateful messages over his comment.

One mother added to the cable network that she was appalled by Piro's demeanor and that "because of our history with this teacher, I knew I needed to speak out with the abuse and bullying and frankly racism that I saw on that video. The saddest thing to me is that she created an environment in that Zoom classroom for some of the other students to comment mean things..."

Jonas' father contacted assistant principal Kelley Brown about Piro, Fox News said, and described the teacher as "unhinged."

Image source: Fox News video screenshot

"I don't know what school she got her degree at, but maybe she can get her money back," Jonas' father added to the cable network.

More from Fox News:

At least three other parents who saw the exchange also reported it to the school and the district, they told Fox.

Jace was granted permission to skip Piro's class for five days. Before he returned, Jace and his father sat down with Piro and Principal Adam Dawson for a "restorative meeting" during which he said Piro apologized.

Despite this, Jace's dad was surprised to find that his son's grade in Piro's class had dropped weeks later.

"Jace was getting straight A's in school. After that incident he had a B in that class," Jim recalled. Piro blamed a computer error and eventually corrected it.

A political debate or English class?

A former student told the cable network that Piro would demean students on a regular basis if they voiced political views opposed to hers.

"She's a good teacher when she's teaching, but these rants aren't new," the former student added to Fox News.

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The student recalled being afraid to participate in Piro's class, a sentiment that was shared by more than three students who spoke exclusively to Fox. She said most of her classmates knew they had to write assignments that were in line with Piro's political views to pass the course and spare themselves the embarrassment of being belittled before their peers.

"I knew I had to change my political views just to please her and get a passing grade," the former student added to Fox News. "She'd either yell or fail you, or make us feel small for what we believe in."

Another student told the cable network that Piro "does often get political about COVID and how she thinks a return to school isn't safe" — and that she often railed against former President Donald Trump's policies.

Anything else?

Principal Adam Dawson agreed that Piro's behavior was "inexcusable" and vowed to address it, Fox News reported, adding that school officials were "deeply concerned" as well but that her "due process and privacy rights" would be upheld amid their investigation.

The cable network said Piro did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

California HS teacher blasts students whose parents are concerned about distance learning: 'Come at me'



A California high school teacher has found herself at the center of controversy after several Zoom outbursts she made went viral.

What happened?

Alissa Piro, an English teacher at San Marcos High School in southern California, was caught on video telling the parents of her students to "come at me" if they had concerns with her teaching lessons.

"If your parent wants to talk to me about their profession and their opinion on their profession, I would love to hear that. I know very little about anything else in the other world other than education," Pirro said.

"However, if your parent wants to come talk to me about how I'm not doing a good enough job in distance learning, based on what you need as an individual — just dare them to come at me," the teacher continued. "Because I am so sick to my stomach of parents trying to tell educators how to do their job."

"I have never once gone to a doctor's appointment and tried to tell my medical health provider how to treat me. You know why? Because I know nothing about that!" Piro added.

In another incident, Piro essentially screamed at a student who asked about forming a "white student union." Piro said, "You don't need a white student union, Jake. You get everything."

Newly released video of a @SanMarcosUSD HS teacher going off on students and their parents over distance learning a… https://t.co/HiUi9sms6c
— Reopen California Schools (@Reopen California Schools)1618187949.0

According to Fox News, Piro was referring to an ongoing lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and several school districts as local teacher unions force students to remain in distance learning environments.

A mother of a student in one of Piro's classes relayed the behavior to San Marcos High School principal Adam Dawson. However, Dawson has failed to address the outbursts, Fox News reported, despite calling such behavior "inexcusable."

"She's a bully," the mother reportedly wrote in a private Facebook group. "These rants were so often my child said he 'tuned her out' and was just trying to get thru the class...this is exactly what's wrong with education and if the school district sweeps this then they are just as responsible."

Why are students still learning from home?

Middle and high school students in San Marcos Unified School District remain stuck in a hybrid learning model in which students are split into groups and only attend school in-person two days per week.

In COVID-19 reopening plans, the district insists that students must maintain 6-foot social distancing despite updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say students only need 3 feet of distance.

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New Virginia study finds online schooling is severely damaging students' academic achievement



A new study conducted by Virginia's largest school system found that distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic is severely damaging academic achievement.

What are the details?

In comparison to the last academic year, the percentage of middle school and high school students enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools receiving marks of "F" in two or more classes during the first quarter of this academic year rose from 6% to 11%, the district's Office of Research and Strategic Improvement found. The numbers represent a year-over-year increase of 83%.

Younger students were much more seriously affected than older ones, as middle-schoolers exhibited a 300% increase in marks of "F," while high schoolers exhibited a 50% increase.

The study also found that some of the most vulnerable students — those with disabilities and English-language learners — were the ones who have been struggling the most.

The number of students with disabilities who scored marks of "F" in two or more classes shot up by 111% to account for nearly one-fifth of those students, while the number of English-language learners who scored marks of "F" increased by 106% to account for 35% of those students.

While students in certain demographics exhibited more pronounced increases than others, the study found that "the pattern was pervasive across all student groups, grade levels, and content areas examined in this report."

What else?

In a summary of the findings, district researchers acknowledged that "there is reason for concern," especially considering that students who were previously not performing well were the ones who were having the hardest time.

"Results indicate a widening gap between students who were previously performing satisfactorily and those performing unsatisfactorily," the report noted. "In other words, students who performed well previously primarily performed slightly better than expected during Q1 of this year. In contrast, students who were previously not performing well, performed considerably less well. A greater proportion of low-performing students received failing grades during Q1 than would have been expected based on patterns of marks in prior years."

In a statement to the Washington Post, the school system's superintendent, Scott Brabrand, said they are working quickly to identify and aid the students who are struggling the most.

"We are working on identifying these students by name and by need and are working on specific interventions to support them right now and as we phase back in person," he said.

Despite the obvious damage being inflicted on students' academic achievement, the school system has halted plans to return to in-person classes until at least Nov. 30 due to a surge in coronavirus cases across the country.

Brabrand, however, vowed during a recent town hall that he has every intention of returning to in-person activities as soon as possible.

"We are committed to returning our kids to in-person. There will be some setbacks. There will be some pauses. I cannot promise you that it will be linear," he said.

California middle school student threatened with jail for missing online Zoom classes



A middle school student in California was threatened with being put in jail for missing online Zoom classes, according to the boy's father.

Mark Mastrov said his family recently received a letter from his son's middle school after his seventh-grade son reportedly missed 90 minutes of online classes. Mastrov said his son is a straight-A student who denies missing any classes.

The father hypothesizes that his son may have logged in after the teacher had already taken roll call during three 30-minute classes, causing the teacher to mark him absent. "I am not sure what happened," Mastrov said.

What Mastrov does know for certain is that the potential punishment prescribed by the school is "ridiculous."

"Out of the blue, we got this letter. It said my son had missed classes, and at the bottom it referenced a state law which said truants can go to jail for missing 90 minutes of class," Mastrov told the East Bay Times.

The California Department of Education states that "a student missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three times during the school year must be classified as a truant and reported to the proper school authority." Parents of chronically truant children face fines of up to $2,000 and being put in jail for up to one year, according to the California Department of Education website.

Mastrov immediately called the Stanley Middle School because he wanted "to clear this up."

"I said, 'Are you going to come and try to arrest my son at my home, or fine me for not getting him to his Zoom class perfectly, on time every day?'" he explained.

"He can become a truant of the state and he could be arrested," Mastrov told KGO-TV.

Stanley Middle School Principal Betsy Balmat said, "The letter is part of our responsibility to the state for our student attendance review boards. As always, the schools have a responsibility to ensure students are engaged and learning."

Balmat added that the family should have been called before receiving the letter. Mastrov said that he never received a call from the school.

The letter read, "When a student is absent without a valid excuse, the student is considered truant according to California law."

The letter lists six possible consequences for missing too many classes, including being put in jail: "The pupil may be subject to arrest under Education Code Section 48264."

"Schools in California use their daily attendance numbers for qualifying for state and federal funding," KIRO-TV reported.

Mastrov has written to state elected officials, asking that the truancy law be changed.

"Obviously we're in a pandemic and Gov. Newsom is trying to manage it," said Mastrov. "But if the state of California is focusing on arresting 12-year-old children for missing 90 minutes of school in ten months, it's ridiculous."

"Who passed this law in their infinite wisdom?" Mastrov asked. "Who in their right mind could do that?"

"I was told that it was the law. I said, 'Are you kidding me? Then that's a bad law,'" he said.

Virginia's Fairfax County teachers union demands schools remain closed until August 2021, possibly longer



The teachers union of Fairfax County in Virginia wants schoolchildren to learn from home for the rest of the school year until August 2021.

"Science and Health Safety data support and require that no one should return to in person instruction until there is a widely available scientifically proven vaccine or highly effective treatment" for COVID-19, the Fairfax Education Association wrote in a letter-campaign addressed to the Fairfax County school board and superintendent.

"The metric for Safe Reopening should be 14 days of zero community spread," the letter stated.

The Fairfax County teacher’s union wants all public schools closed at least until August 2021. @FCPSSupt https://t.co/CuLCXRCGOV
— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper)1603197655.0

In addition to closing schools through the 2020-21 school year, the teachers union demanded that limited reopening be attempted only if "all buildings" are equipped with "HVAC Merv-13 filters," if all staff is provided with "Medical Grade PPE" including N95 masks, goggles, face shields, and more, and if COVID-19 testing is available for staff.

"Since none of the requirements for safe return are likely to be met in the foreseeable future of the 2020-21 school year we reiterate: Keep Fairfax County Public Schools Virtual for the 2020-21 school year," the letter concluded.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand last week published an update for parents explaining when and how in-person learning in schools will resume. The plan is to begin in-person instruction for small groups of students who are having the most difficulty with distance learning.

"We will follow strict safety and health protocols to minimize health risks for students and staff," the school said.

On Monday, classroom learning began for preschoolers with autism, students in "early childhood classes, and students in specialized high school career preparatory programs." The district plans to phase in other students returning to school in different groups over the next several weeks. They have put in place several policies to limit the spread of COVID-19 as students and teachers return to class.

The union's demands come as mounting evidence suggests there is no clear link between schools reopening and coronavirus infection rates surging. Additionally, there are growing concerns that so-called "distance learning," with children staring at computer screens for most of the day, is failing children and parents who can't handle it.

In New York City, an epicenter of the pandemic where reopening is limited and conditional on targeted random virus testing efforts, the New York Times reports expected outbreaks among the city's 1,800 public schools have not materialized in the three-weeks since in-person learning resumed.

Yet, the Free Beacon notes, a Brown University study showed that districts with strong teachers unions, like Fairfax County, were more likely to recommend schools remain closed. In a statement to the Free Beacon, the Fairfax County Public Schools district said school officials maintain returning to the classroom is best for students.

"We firmly believe that while virtual environments are necessary at the current time, students learn best in-person," a district spokeswoman said.

School reopening in the United States varies by state and individual school district. So far, only Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and Texas have ordered schools to open.

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