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Parents and students urge immediate action after alleged misconduct in Francis Scott Key fourth‑grade classroom
Summary
Parents, students and a veteran teacher told the SF Board of Education that a fourth‑grade class at Francis Scott Key Elementary has been disrupted by a teacher they say exposes children to expired emergency‑kit food, prolonged off‑task time, absences and frightening conduct; Superintendent Lee said the district is 'taking it very closely' and assigned additional staff support but parents demanded replacement.
Dozens of parents, students and a longtime district teacher testified at Tuesday’s San Francisco Board of Education meeting about what they described as ongoing harmful conduct by a fourth‑grade teacher at Francis Scott Key Elementary.
Michelle Lean told the board she brought a letter from Anna Wan outlining concerns including a teacher encouraging students to eat expired food from an emergency kit, repeated long periods of free‑play instead of instruction, lack of homework, abrupt absences and alleged behavior that made students fear for their safety. Multiple students and parents corroborated those accounts, saying the classroom culture had left children “afraid” and “not learning.”
Parent Andrew Adams said the district had assigned an additional credentialed teacher and a social worker but that those steps were “a band‑aid” and did not address the core problem. Jennifer Tripp, mother of two fourth‑graders, cited alleged classroom denigration of students’ appearance and religion and said the teacher called the police on himself, causing confusion and fear.
Albert Zhu, an SFUSD teacher of more than 30 years, told the board he had not seen “moral support” or academic rigor in his son’s class, and said the teacher’s conduct posed risks to children's physical safety and long‑term learning.
Interim Superintendent Leigh Lee told the speakers she had sent an email to families and that the district was “very closely attuned to the situation in Room 218,” and that staff were working “purposefully to address that situation.” Lee declined to give full operational details in public but emphasized the matter had the district’s full attention.
Board members thanked the parents and students for testifying. No disciplinary action or staffing decision was announced at the meeting; parents said they expect faster and clearer district action and at least one parent said the matter will be pursued administratively and in future appeals mechanisms if needed.
