Ignacio School Superintendent Rocco Fuschetto has recommended dismissal of second-year high school science teacher Harris Murphy over a physical altercation with a student on Sept. 1.
Ignacio Police Department has issued Murphy a ticket for misdemeanor child abuse. He is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 7 in La Plata County Court.
Fuschetto presented the written dismissal recommendation to the school board at the very end of Tuesday night’s board meeting. It lists district policy violations that constitute insubordination as grounds for dismissal, along with neglect of duty and other violations that Fuschetto said constitute good and just cause for dismissal.
He clarified there is a detailed legal process that the district must follow before a teacher is fired. “According to state statute, I have to present the charges to the board,” he said. That’s what he did Tuesday night. The teacher can resign then or appeal the recommendation, in which case it would go to a hearing officer who will then make a recommendation to the school board. Then board members would take action.
“It’s a long, drawn-out process,” Fuschetto said. “I wish they could have voted on it (Tuesday) night and be done with it.”
The Durango Herald reported on the incident Sept. 4 after it was contacted by the student’s grandfather, Kenny Frost. He said the incident involved his grandson, Seranden Frost.
According to Fuschetto’s 3½-page recommendation, the student, a 15-year-old boy, was sitting in Murphy’s class wearing earbuds and ignoring the teacher. Murphy told him to remove the earbuds, but the student ignored him and pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt. Murphy grabbed him by the hood and began pulling him out of his seat. The student tried to pull away and go to the office.
Murphy didn’t let go. They ended up out in the hall where the struggle was recorded on a school surveillance camera. The struggle continued. The student’s pants fell down around his knees. The student tried to pull them up. Murphy did not let go and tried to tackle the boy. The student fell to the floor. Murphy grabbed the student, dragged him across the floor and pushed him against a wall. Then another student intervened, pulled Murphy away and stood between the two.
Another teacher heard the commotion and came out, Fuschetto said. She stood between Murphy and other students who came out into the hall. She directed them back to their classroom and escorted the first student to the office.
Fuschetto declined to say anything other than what was in the recommendation.
“Mr. Murphy was subsequently placed on administrative leave,” Fuschetto wrote.
