PANAMA CITY BEACH — An Arnold High School English teacher was suspended Thursday for four days after he sent a profanity-filled letter to students, Bay District Superintendent Bill Husfelt confirmed.
The letter was posted in the class by teacher Erik Cobb, a 17-year veteran of the district and a teacher at Arnold since 2001. Husfelt said Cobb posted or taped the note to his desk.
In the letter, Cobb told students not to put gum under tables, using profanity and insults several times.
“Please, pretty please, with a whole (expletive) cherry family on top, quit putting your gum under my table-(expletive)hole,” said one sentence in a copy of the letter provided to The News Herald.
“I’ve asked you repeatedly not to put gum under the tables, but apparently this is too much for your worthless (expletive) brain,” the letter said.
Husfelt said Cobb’s suspension without pay started Thursday. Cobb understood any further repeat of such actions could result in a recommendation of termination to the board, said Husfelt, who added Cobb did not dispute the facts of an account of the incident and was “very remorseful.”
Husfelt said he originally found out about the situation when a parent contacted him.
Arnold High Principal Keith Bland had no comment Thursday, redirecting questions to district officials. An email Wednesday to an account listed for Cobb at Arnold High seeking comment did not receive a response. An attempt to reach Cobb through the Association of Bay County Educators was not successful Thursday.
Husfelt said principals don’t have the authority to suspend a teacher; superintendents do. Superintendents cannot suspend teachers without pay unless the teacher agrees to that punishment.
Cobb has been in trouble before.
According to Cobb’s personnel file, Husfelt said in a January 2011 letter there were concerns regarding Cobb’s use of language in the classroom and inappropriate comments.
Cobb admitted to then-Executive Director of Human Resources for Bay District Tommye Richardson that he “might have slipped” with his language, according to Husfelt’s letter.
In March 2009, a letter from then-Arnold Principal John Haley issued a formal reprimand for “inappropriate actions.” In the letter, Haley said Cobb made derogatory statements to his English class calling them “stupid and irresponsible.”
“Although you were frustrated and disappointed in their work ethic, you should never expose your students to disparaging or belittling remarks,” Haley said.
Violation
Cobb’s actions were a violation of State Board of Education Rule 6B-1.006, in which individuals should make efforts to protect students from conditions harmful to learning and to their health and safety, and also not expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement, Haley’s reprimand said.
A second letter from then-Arnold Assistant Principal Lisa Churchwell said a parent reported that Cobb called her daughter stupid and irresponsible and that the daughter felt singled out. Churchwell said when she called Cobb to investigate the incident, Cobb told Churchwell the student was stupid and irresponsible.
Cobb added he was tired of the student “putting on make-up and bragging about going to the Lil’ Wayne concert,” according to Churchwell’s letter.
“Good, I’ll just go to work at Publix. I’m tired of this (expletive),” Cobb was quoted as saying when Churchwell said Cobb could lose his teaching certificate for the remarks.
In Cobb’s written response to that incident, Cobb explained he entered his classroom to find his students “engaged in all manner of inappropriate behaviors.” A student was dragging another out of a chair by the neck and others were throwing plastic bottles, according to Cobb.
“Three girls were sitting at their table with their cellphones out, putting make-up on. Needless to say, I was not impressed,” Cobb said.
Cobb said he realized his actions and comments were inappropriate and that he made the comments because of his concern for his students. Cobb went on to say while teaching ninth grade regular English he “witnessed a side of the student body that, previously, I had only heard about through my colleagues.” Cobb said his colleague’s “horror stories” were proven true.
“Unfortunately, possibly through no fault of their own, none of them really has any idea how to be a student,” Cobb wrote in his response.
Cobb said he wanted to expand young people’s minds and that his classroom became synonymous with thinking for oneself but that the group he worked with in that fourth period have few of those qualities and that they had no desire to do homework or a clue how to conduct themselves courteously.
His fellow teachers did not want to make negative comments to students but agreed with him when students are out of earshot, Cobb said. At the time, Cobb said he would not act in an inappropriate manner in front of students again.
In May 2010, Cobb was suspended without pay for five days, from May 10-4 by Husfelt for leaving campus on May 3 during a bomb threat at Arnold High. In a letter, Husfelt said he considered Cobb’s action a willful neglect of duty and direct violation of School Board policy.
Student reviews of Cobb on ratemyteachers.com were complimentary.
“The best teacher in the UNIVERSE!!!!!!!! He made my freshman year entertaining and stimulating. Thank you,” said one review from 2011.
“An absolutely awesome teacher that not only has intensive knowledge of literature, but treats his students with respect. This guy actually cares about what happens to you after you finish his course,” said another review from 2007.