Deaf mother says PDSD teacher bullied her son
Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter: On November 10th, a Deaf mother named Talitia Nevins, from Phoenix, Arizona addressed the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) board about an (alleged bullying) situation that happened between a hearing teacher at Phoenix Day School for the Deaf and Talitia’s Deaf son, Caden.
For clarification: PDSD is a school under the supervision of ASDB so any concerns related to PDSD would be addressed to ASDB’s board.
Nevins said that the teacher barged into his son’s classroom and called him an “animal” because he was making vocal tics. Nevins said his son has Tourette Syndrome (TS) and he does make vocal tics without intending to. Nevins said his son said he felt depressed and that he didn’t want to live anymore.
[Video of ASDB Board Meeting] Credit: ASDB
Talitia Nevins: Hello, thank you for the opportunity for me to be here today. I am a mother of three children here. I did email you about what happened as you can see. Ok so, my son has Tourette syndrome. He has vocal tics. He cannot control that. We found out about that when he was 7 years old. He was focused on working in his class. He was making some vocal tics without realizing it. That teacher, who is not his teacher, walked into the classroom. She said that “you sound like an animal and I will call 911 on you. You are not normal. There are no normal people who act like that in the real world”… to my 10 years old son. He broke down, he really broke down. He went home. I had no idea. His teacher contacted me about this. This situation made my son hate himself. He said he did not want to live anymore. He refused to come to school for two days, two days. I struggled to get him to come to school. He told me no no because he was scared thinking that teacher will call 911 on him. He really thought this teacher would and he knows he cannot control his vocal tics. He was scared she would call 911. I told him no, she is mean. And…that teacher is still here. She is not even on administrative leave.
Renca: According to those people familiar with the school, the teacher who addressed Caden is Kari Gemar and she has been a teacher at PDSD for 35 years. We contacted Nevins to explain to us what happened.
Talitia Nevins: It started on Friday, it was a half day. My dad went to pick up the kids from school. I had a workshop conference right after work (at PDSD). I did notice that my son Caden seemed a bit off but didn’t bother him about it. So he was brought home while I was at this workshop. Then his teacher contacted me via text, asking if we could FaceTime. I respond sure, and his teacher ends up explaining what had happened. I was jolted, that was not okay. I had to meet with the principal. Keep in mind this is the interim principal, she had just started recently. So I met with the principal and explained the situation. She was in disbelief and asked me to type up a formal letter and email it to her to share.
I arrive home and I look for Caden, he usually sits in the living room but he wasn’t there. I find him hiding under his bunk bed and I ask him to come out to talk. Right away he starts freaking out, and I tell him I know what happened. He just breaks down. We sit together and I ask him to tell me what happened. So, Caden has Tourette Syndrome and one of them is vocal tics including clearing his throat. People say it can be loud, but he doesn’t realize that.
That teacher from another class walks into his classroom saying “you sound like a zoo animal! I’ll call 911 on you, normal people don’t behave like this in the real world!” This teacher completely blew up. Now, Caden’s teacher did tell her to stop, she tried to. But that other teacher just kept going. My son is crying, apologizing and trying to explain that he can’t control it, that he has Tourette Syndrome, etc., but the teacher just won’t relent. Then that teacher leaves and Caden breaks down. That is just not okay.
So Caden is telling me this, crying, saying things like “I hate myself, why do I have this?” He’s so upset! I’m telling him, you were just born this way, you know? It’s a part of who you are.
So later that night on Friday, I’m on my phone and Caden comes up to me saying, I think it’s better if I go with God. If I died, it would be more peaceful. I’m telling him no, I need you here. I can’t live without you, I need you here. And he says I know, but there are so many awful things about me. This completely destroyed his sense of self. So that’s why I brought this to the Board. This teacher is not on administrative leave or anything. As of today, Thursday, November 17th, she is still at PDSD.
Honestly, I'm going to keep fighting. I’m not going anywhere. I already warned the board that I am not going to stay silent. I’m doing this for all the children who have been made to feel this way by her. Enough is enough, I’m not putting up with it anymore.
Renca: After Nevis addressed the school board, the school superintendent for PDSD and Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB), Annette Reichman who is a DeafBlind woman herself, made a public statement and posted it on PDSD’s Facebook. We will show you a short clip.
[Video clip from ASDB] Credit:Facebook/ ASDB
Annette Reichman: “...While ASDB is unable to share details regarding confidential personnel matters and confidential student information, please be assured that ASDB is taking the appropriate steps to ensure the long-term physical safety and emotional well-being of our students and staff.”
Renca: Several people in the PDSD community, including Caden himself and some of his peers, posted videos on Facebook and TikTok of what they experienced from this teacher, Kari Gemar. These videos were viewed by many people and brought nationwide attention to the incident.
We contacted PDSD directly for their statement. This is what they said.
Text Statement: “As you know, videos on the social media platform TikTok have been circulating online and in our community. In these videos, parents speak about a student experience with a teacher at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) - Phoenix Day School for the Deaf (PDSD). The videos have gained the attention of many in our community, as well as the local news media.
I want our families and community to know that our administration has conducted an investigation and issued disciplinary action, per ASDB policy. Because this is a personnel matter, we cannot share further details at this time…”
-Maria Murphy, Director of Government Policy & Relations
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Renca: Nevis said she posted about this situation on her social media platform. She got messages from many PDSD alumni who shared their experiences with Kari Gemar. With permission, we will show you several screenshots without their names on them.
Screenshot #1: “I often heard Kari in the cafeteria talking, no signing and I didn’t like her from the start. Her demeanor to the kids would upset me. Another thing was how she would speak to the kids without signing at times. Then sign if they didn't understand but would demand for them to try. She often would yell, especially when she was upset about their behavior. She often picked on [redacted] (3rd grade). She would mock them (voice) and other teachers would laugh.
Screenshot #2: “Caden doing okay? Kari did call me a pig in 1989 because I made a noise with my mouth.”
Screenshot #3: “Geez!! This is traumatic experience for Caden!! Especially when all these years always using same line “I’ll call cops on you.” “I’ll call 911 on you” “I’ll tell cops to come over here” all of that needs to stop, not only they creating fears among kids but they will remember this for the rest of their lives… even my friends remember that traumatic childhood experiences with Kari”
Renca: Jameson Green, who is willing to share his story about Gemar with us, said he was also one of the victims from 1991 to 1994. We will briefly share his story here.
Jameson Green: Hello, I am JJ. I want to share a specific experience that happened from 1992 to 1993. Now, I was in 3rd grade twice with Kari Gemar. Yes, it was hard. Yes, she is a mean teacher. Yes, she is very critical and oppressed us. She has insulted me often. She would be aggressive like banging on the table and yelling at me- right in my face. Not like she yelled at me from a distance, but very close to my face. Yes, I am traumatized. What did her punishment for me look like? I had to write an apology letter too often, forcing me to do homework during my recess time- as the other kids would play, but not me, I was forced to stay while she watched me…I started to hate school. I mean..like really, I hated school. I was not happy at all. One time, I remember I stood up against her. She threatened me. We got into an argument. She threatened me that I would stay in the same grade again for next year, the same 3rd grade. I told her no! It was a relief that I was able to move to 4th grade. But still, Kari was still around. I was not comfortable. I was not happy. I decided to ask my mom to be moved to a different school. That’s my story. Thank you.
Renca: One anonymous community member shared some concerns with us about the division happening at PDSD:
Text: "...The Deaf teacher who reported the incident is being ostracized by her 3-5th grades department. She is the only Deaf teacher in her department and some hearing staff are supporting the offender and saying it is all a lie. Older current students are triggered by this because of their past experiences with that teacher... Deaf staff feel stuck because they want to support but at the same time they are scared of losing their jobs..." - Anonymous member of PDSD Community
Renca: That’s all that we have to share with this situation. We know now that PDSD said they are investigating and issued some form of disciplinary action.
Talitia addressing board: https://www.facebook.com/marci.barenburgcardenas/videos/1555637441543913/
PDSD/ASDB Supt statement: https://fb.watch/gSpHhDInjC/