Newark teacher who wrote nasty,

threatening tweets given reprimand

By Doug Oakley
Oakland Tribune
POSTED: 08/27/2014 05:58:03 PM PDT119 COMMENTS| UPDATED: 2 MONTHS AGO

Newark Memorial High School.

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NEWARK -- On her Twitter feed, a Newark Memorial High School teacher described in explicit terms her
desires for her students. She wanted to pour coffee on them. She wanted to stab them. Some of them, she
said, "make my trigger finger itchy."
Alerted by one of her colleagues to the tweets -- which are laced with profanity and racist remarks -- the
district disciplined teacher Krista Hodges with a written reprimand, and she continues to teach. Hodges
has apologized, saying she meant none of it seriously. But some in the school community are stunned by
the turn of events, given the alarming sentiments the teacher expressed.

Among them:

 "I already want to stab some kids. Is that bad? 19 more days," Hodges tweeted on June 23, under the
name Mrs. Hodges and the handle @kree49.
"I am getting Starbucks for sure before school tomorrow. That way I'll be refreshed AND have
something to dump on the little a-holes," said another June 23 tweet.
"So happy to be done w/school for 10 days, but especially to be away from the ones who truly try my
patience & make my trigger finger itchy," she tweeted on April 24.
"The problem w/teaching summer school is I'm gonna get all the (expletive) who failed my class, 2 of
whom I wish would get hit by a car," she offered on May 5.
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In an interview with this newspaper, Hodges conceded she handled herself "unprofessionally." But, she
said, "Everyone knows I'm one of the most liked teachers on campus. And that's because I form
meaningful and long-lasting relationships with my students."
But the school's athletics booster club president, Stacy Kelly, whose children graduated from Newark
Memorial, said the tweets are "not OK."
"If you feel that bad about your job and your students, maybe you should find a different career," Kelly
said.
Tim Erwin, interim superintendent of Newark Unified School District, confirmed there was an
investigation into Hodges' online messages. Erwin would not detail the discipline, but Hodges confirmed
she received a written reprimand.
"The only thing I can say is we were made aware of it, and we followed our policies and procedures and
that investigation has concluded," Erwin said. "I cannot get into any specifics as to any steps that were
taken due to the fact that it's a personnel matter."
He added that he consulted California education law, school board policy and the teacher's union contract
to guide him in deciding discipline for Hodges.
Newark Teacher Still On The Job After Threatening Tweets
CBS San Francisco

When told about the tweets, school board President Nancy Thomas said, "I'm speechless. Oh dear."
She said Erwin told her about the disciplinary measures Monday, nearly two months after the fact, but
did not tell her what the tweets said. Thomas declined to comment on whether the written reprimand was

appropriate, saying the school board lets administrators handle personnel issues, unless they come before
the board.
"But I would go so far as to say we take very seriously the safety of our children," Thomas said.
Hodges said she deleted her account and is not posting messages on Twitter or other social media. She
said a colleague copied the offensive tweets and brought them to her principal. The anonymous colleague
also provided the tweets to this newspaper, and Hodges confirmed they are hers.
In an email, Hodges said she "deeply regrets" the messages and continued: "I never expected anyone
would take me seriously. If I had thought for one moment that someone would read anything I said on
Twitter and take me seriously, you'd better believe I would have been much more careful with what I've
said."
In a subsequent telephone interview Hodges said she "would never touch a student" and that the tweets
probably came out of frustration with troubled high school students who often bring outside problems in
to the classroom.
One psychologist said that people who express threatening thoughts through social media aren't
necessarily inclined toward violence.
"When people go online, it doesn't feel like the real world; it's almost an extension of their imagination
where they can say almost anything they want," said John Suler, a professor and specialist in
cyberpsychology at Rider University in New Jersey.
"It's a drama in your head that plays out online, and people lose the sense of perspective that there are
actually real people listening to this and watching what I am saying."
Chris De Benedetti contributed to this report. Contact Doug Oakley at 925-234-1699. Follow him on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/douglasoakley.

Newark: Police probe teacher who tweeted thoughts of violence against students
By Chris De Benedetti
The Argus
POSTED: 08/29/2014 02:48:27 PM PDT2 COMMENTS| UPDATED: 2 MONTHS AGO

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NEWARK -- Police have begun investigating a high school teacher whose profanity-laced Twitter
messages expressed violent thoughts toward students, a police spokesman said Friday.
The probe will center on Krista Hodges, a Newark Memorial High School teacher whose tweets said she
wanted to "stab some kids," wished two students "would get hit by a car," and that some pupils "make my
trigger finger feel itchy," among other online messages.
"The investigating officer is trying to coordinate an interview with her and her attorney," said police Cmdr.
Mike Carroll. "We want to talk to her to find out what she was thinking."
What the police are looking into is whether the tweets are a criminal violation, which might depend on
what the teacher intended.

"That's why they need to talk to her. The tweets in and of themselves ... without knowing her intent, I'm
not sure they rise to the level of 'criminal threats,'" he said.
Newark police expects to present their findings to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office by next
week.
"The D.A. then will decide whether or not to charge the teacher," Carroll said. "Given the publicity of this
case, we'll investigate and let them make it their call."
Carroll said police learned of the tweeting teacher only when they read this newspaper's story, but whether
the district was required by state law to report her depended on a judgment.

"It depends on ... whether they felt the students were legitimately threatened by the tweets," he said
Friday. "In this particular case, the answer was no so they didn't."
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The case attracted national attention this week when this newspaper reported Hodges' tweets. Newark
Unified School District leaders said they have received countless media inquiries.
Hodges said she received a written reprimand from district leaders but has kept her job.
Tim Erwin, Newark Unified's interim superintendent, said the district investigated the teacher's online
messages but would not detail the discipline.
"A thorough investigation was conducted but because this situation involves a personnel matter, the
district can only provide limited information," Erwin said in a written statement.
"The district consulted California education law, district board policies and the teacher's union contract
throughout its investigation and in determining the appropriate disciplinary steps to take."
Erwin, who was promoted Aug. 19, leads a school community that has been in upheaval since exSuperintendent Dave Marken resigned in late May amid public accusations that board members'
micromanagement chased him away.
"I have been told by seasoned superintendents that this is a baptism by fire for a new superintendent,"
Erwin said. "But I am committed to the district, our students, parents and teachers and in continuing to
move the district forward."
Contact Chris De Benedetti at 510-293-2480. Follow him at Twitter.com/cdebenedetti.

Newark: Student urges school board to

keep teacher who posted inappropriate
tweets
By Chris De Benedetti
The Argus
POSTED: 09/02/2014 11:17:35 PM PDT2 COMMENTS| UPDATED: ABOUT A MONTH AGO

NEWARK: District disciplines teacher who allegedly wrote threatening tweets

KTVU - Oakland, CA

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NEWARK -- As police investigate a teacher whose profanity-laced Twitter messages expressed violent
thoughts toward students, a Newark teenager this week urged the school board to keep her on the job.
Krista Hodges has been under fire since this newspaper reported last week that the Newark Memorial
High School teacher posted tweets saying she wanted to "stab some kids" and that some students "make
my trigger finger feel itchy."
Hodges received a written reprimand from district leaders but was not fired.
High school senior Tristan Mosier told trustees at a Tuesday meeting that they should keep it that way
because he and other Newark Memorial pupils support Hodges.

"She is not a demon or violent or the crazy person that the media and other sources say she is," Mosier
said. "She has always opened up her classroom to all kids of all shapes, sizes and colors. Whenever a
student had a problem, she was open to them."
But some parents, such as Jody Montgomery, asked the school board to remove Hodges from the
classroom.
"Offer an employee assistance program to get her some help, but don't put her back in there with the kids,"
Montgomery said, noting that the controversy had made national news. "Right now we have a nation
watching; it's time to stand up and keep our kids safe."
Mosier said although the teacher's tweets were unprofessional, she should not be fired.
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"You'd be getting rid of the only teacher at the high school who cares for her students and makes sure they
get through school with passing grades," he said.
Hodges deserves a second chance because of her devotion to students, said Laura Mosier, Tristan's
mother. "Last year, for instance, we had prom and she came out to the lake where 150 students were
taking photos," she said.
"She met each of them and spent at least an hour and a half telling them how excited she was ... for their
future. That's not really common, and it's awesome that she does that."
Newark police's investigation of Hodges and her tweets "is ongoing," Cmdr. Mike Carroll said Wednesday.

Police initially expected to complete the probe by Friday, but said it is taking longer because "there are
more people to contact than originally anticipated," Carroll said. "I do not have a timeline for the
completion."
When investigators are finished, they will submit their report to the Alameda County District Attorney's
Office, which will decide whether to charge the teacher with a crime.
Tim Erwin, Newark Unified's interim superintendent, said the district investigated the teacher's online
messages but would not detail the discipline.
"The district deplores and disavows the statements made by Ms. Hodges," Erwin said at the meeting,
reading from a written statement. "Nobody in this district community should misunderstand our efforts to
follow legal procedures as an endorsement of or even tolerance for these unacceptable statements."
Contact Chris De Benedetti at 510-293-2480. Follow him at Twitter.com/cdebenedetti.