Two mothers are seeking a restraining order to keep to a teacher away from their children and dozens of other parents also have complained about him to San Diego Unified School District trustees.

Parents Beatriz Silva and Teresita Martin said they are scheduled to appear before a Superior Court judge on April 3 in an effort to obtain a restraining order against Marcus Salazar, a sixth grade math and science teacher at Longfellow school, a Spanish-language immersion magnet school for grades K-8 in Bay Park.

The unusual step comes after Silva, Martin and dozens of parents appeared before the school board at a March 7 meeting to say their concerns about Salazar’s classroom behavior had gone unanswered by the school or district.

Some parents at the meeting were emotional as they told trustees that Salazar had yelled at their children and even hurt them by grabbing or pulling on their arms. They also said they had complained to the school principal about Salazar being a bully, but were in the dark about any actions that have been taken.


“Our kids are telling us that this man is mean and embarrasses them and misuses his authority in the classroom and physically puts his hands on them,” Silva said to the board at the start of the meeting.

Trustees did not comment on the complaints, which were not related to any item before the board that night, but Longfellow Principal Diana Sanchez did issue a statement before the meeting concluded.

“The concerns raised by parents tonight are serious,” the statement read. “We have been meeting with families regularly to listen to and address parent concerns and problem solve. At Longfellow, we have a strong, supportive parent and teacher community. We will continue to address parent concerns according to district policy. We have established a co-teaching model where a second teacher is in the classroom to make sure students can continue to learn in a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment.”

Salazar, who has not been at school the past few weeks, could not be reached and did not return calls or e-mails requesting a comment.


The “co-teaching model” Sanchez referred to began in January and involves a second teacher being in the classroom with Salazar, said Martin, one of the parents pursuing the restraining order.

In an interview, Martin said a “shadow teacher” was introduced in the class after her 12-year-old daughter was physically pushed out of the classroom by Salazar on Jan. 30. According to Martin, Salazar had told her daughter to leave that day because she was being disruptive, although the girl said she had only turned her body around to sit facing the side board that the teacher was writing on.

The girl went to the school office to talk to the principal, who walked back to the classroom with the student, said Martin, who also has two adopted grandchildren at the school. Salazar pushed her daughter out the door after she entered the room, Martin said.

Martin said there was a disagreement with the principal over whether the girl stumbled or was pushed out the door, and she called the police to report the incident. An an officer told her there was not enough evidence to press charges, but he said she could seek a restraining order, Martin said.


Martin and Silva did not immediately file for a restraining order because they wanted to give the co-teaching model a chance. But she said they decided to move ahead because there have been days when the second teacher doesn’t show up or is absent for long stretches.

They originally went to court seeking a restraining order March 10, but said they were told to return with more evidence. Martin said she will ask the principal and students to appear at the next hearing.

Silva said she has gone to school every day since January to make sure a second teacher is there. On days when one is not, she said she stays in the classroom.

She also said the March 7 appearance before the board was the largest group to complain at one time, but it wasn’t the first.


“We’ve gone to the board three times to complain about the teacher,” Silva said in an interview. “This last time, I said we need to show them we are Longfellow, and this is the reason we are here. All we want to do is keep our kids safe.”

Silva said she first began to suspect something was wrong at school when her daughter complained of chest pains in December, and a doctor diagnosed her with stress.

“She kept complaining about this teacher and how he’d make her feel,” she said. “He’d belittle her and make her feel stupid in class and taunt her. We put two and two together. It is anxiety.”

Parent Nikki Kraft said her second-grader had issues at school last year when Salazar taught first grade. She said she began to have concerns about what was happening when her son began insulting family members in Spanish and calling them “cochino,” Spanish for pig.


“We don’t talk like that,” she said. “It was very clear that he was learning it from Salazar.”

Kraft said she confirmed with her son that he had learned the language from his teacher, and others at the school board meeting had similar stories.

She also said her son stopped drinking water at school because he was afraid Salazar would yell at him if he needed to go to the restroom.


gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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