San Leandro middle school teacher: ‘I have shot kids younger than him!’

SAN LEANDRO — A teacher at a middle school has been removed from a classroom following what officials call “inappropriate statements” toward a student.

In audio recording broadcast by KTVU, the Bancroft Middle School teacher can be heard referencing prior military service while speaking to one student who the teacher implies was misbehaving, “I have shot kids younger than him.” In another, he appears to tell a student that he wishes he could put his hands on him and dish out punishment.

“The district is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident and in doing so, the personnel involved have been removed from the classroom,” San Leandro Unified School District Superintendent Michael McLaughlin said in a post on the district’s Facebook page. “Additionally, the Bancroft students, staff, and families who have been affected by this incident are also being supported in processing this concerning event.”

The teacher was not identified and McLaughlin did not address the teacher’s comments caught on an audio recording.

In one snippet of audio reported by the station, the teacher is heard saying: “I’ve been through three tours in combat in the most dangerous places on Earth, and I am not in a position to let some kid talk back to me. Period. That’s just how it is. I have shot kids younger than him.”

In another audio clip, the teacher says to a student: “You’re probably about 20% undersized for your age, so I suggest when you get into high school, you shut your mouth, because guys like me, who are way, way bigger than you, are going to pound your little butt into the ground.”