THE DISTRICT. I’M DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. WHY WOULD YOU EVER TAKE AWAY ONE OF THE GREAT PILLARS OF PHOEBE HEARST? SPEECH AFTER SPEECH. MISS RUPERT IS THE HEART, AND MR. HENDRICKSON IS THE SOUL OF PHOEBE HEARST. STUDENTS AND PARENTS ADDRESSED THE SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD. I WON’T STOP SPEAKING UNTIL THE TEACHERS OF PHOEBE HEARST ELEMENTARY GET THE RIGHTFUL JUSTICE THAT THEY DESERVE. SHARING THEIR FRUSTRATION AFTER ONE SIXTH GRADE TEACHER AT PHOEBE HEARST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS REASSIGNED TO ANOTHER SCHOOL AND A SECOND WAS PLACED ON LEAVE FOR MORE THAN TWO MONTHS, MANY STUDENTS HAVE HAD A ROTATION OF SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS AND NO SENSE OF STABILITY. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, THIS IS A SCHOOL IN CRISIS AND AN ABSOLUTE LEADERSHIP FAILURE. THURSDAY NIGHT, THAT FRUSTRATION REACHED A BREAKING POINT. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY FAILED TO DO THE JOB FOR WHICH YOU WERE ELECTED. AS SUCH, TONIGHT WE, THE PARENTS OF PHOEBE HEARST AND ACROSS THE DISTRICT ARE BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF TERMINATING YOUR EMPLOYMENT. PARENTS GIVING BOARD PRESIDENT JAGJIT SINGH A NOTICE OF INTENT TO RECALL HIM, CITING A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP DISTRICT WIDE. IN THIS SITUATION, IT’S JUSTIFIABLE THAT FOLKS ARE MAD BECAUSE THERE’S TWO TEACHERS, ONE THAT ONE TEACHER THAT HAS BEEN REMOVED TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL SITE, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE WHO IS ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE PENDING AN INVESTIGATION. AND I JUST CANNOT SPEAK ABOUT THOSE INVESTIGATIVE MATTERS. AND IT PUTS ME IN A DIFFICULT SPOT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THOSE TEACHERS, JANINE, RUPERT AND MARK HENDRICKSON, AT THE END OF THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, RUPERT AND HER STUDENTS REMOVED OLD FLEA RIDDEN CARPETING FROM HER CLASSROOM, WHICH HAD COVERED TILES THAT CONTAIN ASBESTOS. TESTING LATER FOUND THERE WAS NO ASBESTOS EXPOSURE, BUT SHE WAS MOVED TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL. AND THEN JUST THIS MONTH, HENDRICKSON WAS PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE. THE DISTRICT DIDN’T PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT HENDRICKSON’S REMOVAL, CALLING IT A PERSONNEL MATTER, BUT PARENTS BELIEVE THE MOVE WAS RETALIATION. AFTER HENDRICKSON RALLIED FOR RUPERT’S REINSTATEMENT. PART OF THE ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE I DON’T WANT TO SAY HALF TRUTHS, BUT LIMITED INFORMATION THAT COMMUNITY GETS AND THE DISTRICT IS UNABLE TO PUT OUT FURTHER INFORMATION ON A PERSONNEL MATTER BECAUSE THE BECAUSE OF THE LEGALITIES. SINGH SAYS HE’S CALLED FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO HENDRICKSON’S CASE. PARENTS SAY TIME IS UP. WE HAVE KIDS REALLY SUFFERING RIGHT NOW. OUR SCHOOL IS IN CHAOS. IT REALLY IS. THERE’S NO LEADERSHIP. WE NEED OUR TEACHERS BACK. AND SINGH SAYS HE WANTS TO SCHEDULE A MEETING IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO WITH THE FAMILIES OF THE 66. PHOEBE STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. AS FOR THE NEXT STEPS OF THAT RECALL, ONCE THAT PAPERWORK IS CERTIFIED, PARENTS SAY THAT THEY WILL START GOING DOOR TO DOOR TO COLLECT SIGNATURES. LIVE IN SACRAMENTO, PEYTON HEADLEE KCRA THREE NEWS. IT’S INTERESTING HE’S GOING TO DO THIS MEETING BECAUSE I KNOW PARENTS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR IT. BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE,
Sac City Unified school board president facing recall amid controversy of removed teachers
Updated: 10:09 PM PDT Oct 16, 2025
A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him. The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School. “While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.”We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone .”The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting. “My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked. Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen. KCRA 3’s Peyton Headlee is at the meeting and working to get more information from parents and the school district. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him.
The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School.
“While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”
Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.
“We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone [who will].”
The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting.
“My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked.
Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.
Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.
Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”
However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.
Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen.
KCRA 3’s Peyton Headlee is at the meeting and working to get more information from parents and the school district.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel