Parents Claim ‘Pure Retaliation’ After Teacher Put on Leave amid Support for Colleague in Carpet Controversy

“Mr. Henrikson was outspoken from the beginning of Mrs. Rupert’s removal,” parent Brenda Buford tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

  • Mark Henrikson, a teacher at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., was put on administrative leave by the Sacramento City Unified School District
  • The move comes after he expressed support for Jeanine Rupert, another Phoebe Hearst teacher who was reassigned to a different school after removing a piece of carpet in her classroom
  • Concerned parents are speaking out to PEOPLE about the district’s decisions

A teacher who vocally supported a fellow colleague when she was reassigned following a controversy over a carpet removal has now been placed on administrative leave.

Brooke Fahey, the principal of Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., announced the move on Monday, Oct. 6, in a message shared with parents, which was later obtained by PEOPLE.

“I am writing to share with you that the SCUSD [Sacramento City Unified School District] has placed 6th grade teacher Mark Henrikson on administrative leave,” Fahey wrote. “At this time, I cannot provide any additional details about this District-level decision.”…

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