Lawton teacher resigns, claims lack of action from LPS following ‘threats’ from student

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - One former Lawton Public Schools teacher is speaking out after she says she was forced to resign early.

Rachel Moore was a three-year teacher at Pioneer Park Elementary. She told 7News at the beginning of the year that a fourth grader was transferred to her class after being disruptive. Over the past several months, Moore said the student repeatedly caused issues without being disciplined accordingly.

According to Moore, the student has made multiple violent threats, ranging from saying they would light other students on fire or bring a gun to school. She also said the student has assaulted classmates.

However, when she attempted to bring this to her administration’s attention, Moore said they dismissed it, labeling the student ‘non-violent.’

“I really got the conversation of ‘the kids will be kids, the boys will be boys, the girls will be girls’,” Moore said.

Moore said she asked for resignation papers if the administration wasn’t going to take proper action.

“We’re not helping these kids. We’re not teaching them about consequences. We’re not teaching them that, ‘Yes, you’re safe in this classroom’. I think ultimately, it’s awful,” Moore stated. “The parents want to believe we have it under control, and we don’t.”

She requested to stay until her students passed state testing, but when she came in the next day, she was asked to leave the school campus.

“I told them that I wasn’t going to fall in line with this narrative that they were trying to say there was no threat,” she said. “When in fact, the student in my class has made multiple threats.”

In response to the situation, Moore said she was banned from all Lawton Public Schools’ property.

We reached out to Lawton Public Schools officials for comment, to which they sent the following statement:

The safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority. No credible threat was made to a student, staff, or Pioneer Park Elementary. Any report of a threat is immediately handled by our administration and LPS Police Department and thoroughly investigated.

LPS has not dismissed any staff from Pioneer Park Elementary but can confirm we have received a voluntary resignation.

While we are unable to discuss specific personnel issues, the district does reserve the right to disallow individuals on campus when there is a reason to be concerned about a disruption or the safety of the students or staff.

However, Moore does not agree with this statement, stating issues like this spread across the entire district.

“This system that we’ve got going on just is not working,” she stated. “Not if we’re allowing students to get away with threats. Not if we’re allowing students to get away with physical violence and telling parents some other crazy story.”