Dozens of Phoebe Hearst families and students told the Sacramento City Unified School District board on Oct. 16 that the district’s removal of two teachers has disrupted classrooms and damaged community trust. Parents and students described repeated absences of a regular teacher, chaotic substitute coverage and ongoing protests and petitions demanding the teachers’ reinstatement.

The speakers said the dispute began after classroom carpets were removed amid reports of flea infestations and that one teacher was investigated after removing an allegedly infested rug. ‘‘Removing them is a direct contradiction to the values SCUSD stands for,’’ said Eli Reed, identifying himself as a seventh-grade student and Phoebe Hearst alumnus. Reed and several other students said their former teachers provided emotional as well as academic support.

Parents recounted children arriving home in tears, classes with rotating substitutes and ongoing community demonstrations. ‘‘A lot of kids have gone home every day since the first few weeks of school and cried because they don't have a teacher,’’ said Carly Levine, identifying herself as a student directly affected by the staffing changes. Several parents urged the board to meet with families and restore the teachers.

Speakers also raised procedural and transparency concerns. Holly Jacobson said parents had been threatened by district administration for organizing a GoFundMe for legal defense of the affected teachers and that materials the district should post — including meeting minutes — were not publicly available. Another parent, Caitlin Beckett, called the situation ‘‘a school in crisis and an absolute leadership failure’’ and said parents intend to pursue removal of board members unless they act.

Board President Singh and other trustees did not announce personnel decisions at the meeting; board members and staff later fielded questions about the district’s contracting and personnel processes in a separate discussion on unauthorized contracts and fiscal controls. The district’s public materials and subsequent board items will be the formal record for any personnel outcomes.

The public-comment segment on Phoebe Hearst continued through multiple speakers, including students who described the teachers as ‘‘the heart’’ and ‘‘the soul’’ of the school and parents who said the teachers’ removal followed repeated requests to remove an infested rug. Several speakers linked the matter to larger concerns about transparency, Brown Act compliance and district response to parent requests.

No formal board action on the Phoebe Hearst staffing disputes was taken at the Oct. 16 meeting; speakers said they would continue demonstrations and outreach. The board’s next regular meetings are scheduled for Nov. 6 and Nov. 20, when any formal administrative reports or personnel items would appear on the public agenda.