Cross Country and Track
Assault alleged at party
BHS teens pulled from sports over suspected drinking
BY LISA SCHENCKER AND JASON KOTOWSKI, Californian staff writers
e-mail: lschencker@bakersfield.com; jkotowski@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, May 29 2007 9:05 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 29 2007 9:08 PM\
wainting is the hardest partOriginally uploaded by andynoise.
it is 8:15 am and no bus! how can this happen over and over. it is like that bill murray movie “groundhog day”.
during cross country season, almost every invite we went to, our entry or entry fee was missing and now our bus is missing (coach ordered one in advance and double checked that we had one btw).
the AD was called and he said it was on its way.
830, no bus and the AD tells us the transportation office is closed and he offers no help. i took some athletes up to BC so they wont miss their events.
while up at BC, i tried to find a khsd bus driver but they were gone. bonnie (tehachapi bus driver) offered her help and got permission to come get us even. by the time she got to bhs, coach and the team recruited friends and family to carpool the team to the meet.
we got to the meet real late and our drillers still performed great!
if you would like to express your opinion on this and many more screwups, please write or call the principal and/or the AD.
| Principal | David Reese |
| Dean of Athletics | Jeff Scott |
Teacher in duct-taping reassigned to Highland
New principal: One incident doesn’t erase ‘30-some years of good teaching’
BY SHELLIE BRANCO, Californian staff writer
e-mail: sbranco@bakersfield.com | Monday, Jan 8 2007 10:30 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jan 8 2007 10:35 PM
Former Bakersfield High School teacher Carol Humphrey, accused of duct-taping a student’s fingers and mouth shut during class, began a new assignment Monday as an independent study teacher at Highland High School.
Kern High School District spokesman John Teves said he would not comment on why she was reassigned because it’s a “personnel matter.”
The science teacher was placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 5, the same day the incident allegedly took place.
The student in Humphrey’s freshman science class allegedly was making a sound during class by thumping his fingers against his air-filled cheeks.
Humphrey was said to have taped the student’s mouth shut and placed tape over a few of his fingers.
Humphrey could not be reached for comment Monday.
The district has said Humphrey has been with its schools since 1971 and had no previous disciplinary problems.
Teves said he did not know when the decision was made.
As an independent study instructor, she’ll work with students who cannot attend daily classes because of health or other issues, Teves said. She’ll help them with all coursework, not just science.
Bakersfield High Principal David Reese said Humphrey made the transfer voluntarily. He said he did not take part in the decision.
Highland High Principal Robert Schneider said he was notified of the decision last week.
He met with Humphrey and is happy to have her, he said.
As for the alleged duct-tape discipline, he said: “I don’t know that that erases 30-some years of good teaching. At least, I don’t believe it does.”
She’ll remain at Highland through the end of the school year, he said. Schneider doesn’t know what will happen after that.
He called the incident “unfortunate,” adding he would not condone teachers who display such behavior.
“But I also understand the frustration level,” he said. “We live in a different time than when I was a teacher and our student behavior … can get pretty tough, be pretty frustrating.”
“I don’t think this kind of behavior is going to happen again on the teacher’s part,” he added.
Soccer_Fest2.embeddedOriginally uploaded by andynoise.
“Stockdale’s Brianna Curtis clears the ball away from a Liberty’s Olivia Gonzalez during a third-place match of the Garces Holiday Soccer Festival on Saturday. Stockdale beat Liberty 3-0.”
olivia (#6) was running for us in the fall of 2006 and now plays soccer for liberty. i always thought one had to sit out a year but i guess not.
Tape tangle continues at BHS
Incident led to laughs, then concern for boy, students say
BY LISA SCHENCKER, Californian staff writer
e-mail: lschencker@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, Dec 12 2006 9:35 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Dec 12 2006 9:39 PM
What began as a joke soon turned serious when a Bakersfield High teacher duct-taped a student’s mouth shut last week, said several students who witnessed the incident.
More video from Bakersfield.com:
Blogs:
But duct tape is a handy tool
Students said the freshman science class thought duct-taping the student’s mouth and fingers was funny at first, but the mood grew more somber once students saw the boy was upset.
According to district officials, teacher Carol Humphrey allegedly taped a student’s mouth and fingers after the boy made noises by tapping his finger against his cheek during class. Humphrey has been placed on paid administrative leave while the district investigates.
Humphrey has declined to comment on the incident. She has been with the district for 35 years and has had no past disciplinary problems, said district spokesman John Teves.
“Everyone was just sitting there laughing and it was a big joke,” said ninth-grader Patrick Carraway, who said he was in the class. “Then at the end it wasn’t really funny. I could see he wasn’t looking very happy.”
Several students said Humphrey got upset after the boy made the noise. According to the students, she then pulled a roll of duct tape out of her desk and tore off several pieces. Humphrey then taped the boy’s shirt collar over his mouth and taped his fingers “so he wasn’t able to remove the tape,” Carraway said.
Students said at that point, they started laughing. Students then asked if they could take pictures with their cell phones, said freshman Maria Vasquez, who also said she was in the class at the time.
“People were freaked out that Ms. Humphrey did that,” Vasquez said.
Several BHS students interviewed Tuesday said a picture of the incident has been making the rounds among students.
According to several students, the boy walked to an administrator’s office after class to report the incident. Humphrey was placed on leave the same day, Dec. 5.
Several students said the science class where the incident happened is a rowdy one where a lot of students misbehave.
“Our actions in the class could have led up to it,” Carraway said. “She could have gotten fed up. I really didn’t feel too good about what happened.”
Several other students who were not in the class said they think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
“In her defense, she’s very patient,” senior Detrec Hollins said of Humphrey.
“I think a teacher should be able to joke with kids and have fun because it would make it boring for the kids if they don’t have fun in class,” said junior Emmanuel Ojeriakhi.
Teves said he’s not aware of any sort of similar incident at the district in the past.
He said district officials took statements from students in the class after the incident. No law enforcement agencies are involved because the district does not believe Humphrey assaulted the boy, Teves said.
Teacher on leave after student’s mouth was taped shut
BY LISA SCHENCKER, Californian staff writer
e-mail: lschencker@bakersfield.com | Monday, Dec 11 2006 12:44 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Dec 11 2006 12:44 PM
A Bakersfield High School science teacher has been placed on leave after allegedly using duct tape to tape a student’s fingers and mouth shut during class.
Photos:
Carol Humphrey
Teacher Carol Humphrey was placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 5 — the same day of the alleged incident, said district spokesman John Teves.
Teves said the student was making a sound during class by thumping his fingers against his air-filled cheeks. He said the district has an “indication” that Humphrey then taped the student’s mouth shut and placed tape over a few of his fingers.
“I think the teacher may have thought this was a humorous way to address it,” Teves said. “It was not humorous. Putting hands on a student is not acceptable.”
Teves said Humphrey has been with the Kern High School District since 1971 and has had no previous disciplinary problems. The district is investigating the incident, Teves said.
Attempts to reach Humphrey early this afternoon were not immediately successful.
the anti-driller for 10/28/06 goes to our junior and senoir boys who decided to skip the kern county invitational.
we barely filled a varsity team. kyle and matt had to run varsity in your place instead of the shorter JV race.
