Victor Lopez Permanently Removed From Classroom.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Boca Raton Middle School teacher expected to be un-fired at Wednesday night’s School Board meeting was actually re-fired. In an unexpected decision, school board members voted 6-1 to permanently terminate the employment of Victor Lopez. Board Chairwoman Karen Brill was the only member to vote against his termination.
As BocaNewsNow.com reported earlier this month, “Victor Lopez — a teacher at Boca Raton Middle School — was accused of multiple counts of, quite simply, bad judgment. He nicknamed students. He “flicked” students. And he pretended to hold one in a chokehold. But after nearly twenty students testified on his behalf, as well as professionals and para-professionals, the Palm Beach County School Board is expected to reinstate Lopez during its next meeting.”
That didn’t end up happening. Instead, school board members pointed to repeated issues with Lopez, some of which we have reported on over the years. It appears Lopez was moved from Loggers Run to Boca Raton Middle after another incident.
During Wednesday’s meeting, School Board Chair Brill said she couldn’t be more supportive of student safety, but didn’t believe that Lopez’ conduct rose to the level of creating an “unsafe” environment. Other members, however, disagreed, arguing that the Classroom Teachers Association works to ensure that teachers act in a professional manner and that Lopez was not following CTA and school district guidelines.
School District attorneys and other officials were instructed to finalize the termination.
I think López is a good teacher and tries to make classes fun but he has an unorthodox method. He must understand that he is not just another person in the classroom, he is the teacher and has to maintain a certain distance and discipline in the classroom. He can’t be friends with boys, he can’t lower himself to their level. Kids can get confused. He has to use an appropriate strategy, not too strict but not too lax either. In my opinion, he must have had some training in this regard and certainly deserved another chance.
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