Tulsa Public Schools: Teacher Removed From Classroom After Losing Temper

A Tulsa Public School teacher is pulled out of the classroom after school leaders say he lost his temper.

School officials said an English teacher at Edison Preparatory School, Robert Reynolds was removed from the classroom immediately when they found out about the incident, but students said it's not really out of character for him.

“I was pretty shocked it was that bad,” said 9th grader Peter Fabian. 

Fabian said he has Mr. Reynolds in class, but wasn't surprised when he saw the video. 

“He’s pretty normal but sometimes he has fits like that,” he said.  

In the video, Reynolds can be heard yelling at the students, throwing objects, and pushing a desk over. Tulsa Public School administrators said they are looking into the incident.

“We’re looking into everything now but what I know is there are no circumstances in which that kind of behavior is warranted,” said TPS Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist. 

Dr. Gist said Robert Reynolds was removed from the classroom immediately when it happened on Wednesday and the school principal took over classes for the rest of the day. 

“He wasn’t in class today, he won’t be back tomorrow, and I find it hard to believe he will ever be back in a TPS classroom,” Dr. Gist said.  

Reynolds hasn't been teaching with the district very long but Superintendent Gist said, regardless, this situation will not be taken lightly. 

“I think it’s so important for Tulsans to know that we acted quickly and also for Tulsans to know that all across our city we have incredible teachers. This kind of behavior is in no way reflective of the teachers that we have in Tulsa Public Schools,” Dr. Gist said. 

Superintendent Gist said Robert Reynolds is still employed because the incident just happened but they will be taking action soon.