Thomas Hammer, who was a second-grade teacher at Cielo Vista Elementary School, was seen threatening to hit a skateboarder in a video that was posted on YouTube in June 2013. The incident appeared to be unprovoked. He was arrested about two months later on felony charges.
At that time, Hammer was placed on administrative leave, but when the felony charges were recently reduced to misdemeanor charges, he was allowed to return to campus "in a support role working with other teachers," the district said in a statement.
Parents are furious and want the district to guarantee that the teacher will not be back on campus ever again.
"It's shameful and unacceptable that the district has even gotten to this point, and that he's on our campus in the first place," said Karly Foster, a parent and the vice president of the school PTA. "As parents, we should feel comfortable to send our students to a safe environment."