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Parishville-Hopkinton students protest teacher being placed on administrative leave

Posted 4/29/21

PARISHVILLE – Over 30 Parishville Hopkinton High School students held signs in support of their science teacher, William Ayers, during a protest Thursday morning, after they say he had been removed …

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Parishville-Hopkinton students protest teacher being placed on administrative leave

Posted

PARISHVILLE – Over 30 Parishville Hopkinton High School students held signs in support of their science teacher, William Ayers, during a protest Thursday morning, after they say he had been removed from teaching last week.

Superintendent Bill Collins said the district would not comment on matters related to personnel.

Ayers is a third-year teacher at PHCS. He has taught Outdoor Education and Earth Science, and started the Trap Shoot League at the school.

“Every student at our school loves Mr. Ayers. He’s one of the best teachers at the school, and we want him back,” said Conner Henderson, a junior who has had Mr. Ayers.

“Mr. Ayers is a great teacher. He’s more than just a teacher. He’s family to us. He’s a teacher you can talk to. He’ll always be there for you,” said Hailey Monroe, a sophomore who has also had Mr. Ayers as a teacher.

“I won’t stop fighting until he comes back,” Monroe added.

Senior Kelly Bloom has been taking Outdoor Wilderness Studies for college credit with Mr. Ayers. “He really wanted to teach us about the outdoors. He got me interested in it. He wanted to contribute to the school community. He created a Trap Shoot League for the students and took us on many different trips.”

“His class was the highlight of our school days, especially with the pandemic,” said Bloom.

A parent at the protest said, “The numbers speak for themselves.” He said most of the juniors and seniors were at the protest, unless they were virtual learners at home. He said more students would be joining the protest in the afternoon, after returning from their BOCES program.