Teacher Faces Consequences Over Vaping and THC Allegations

Teacher Fired Over Allegations of Student Misconduct

A teacher at Gallup McKinley County School District has been terminated after school officials discovered what they claim were instances of students vaping, using nicotine and THC, and engaging in private lunches with female students. The situation led to a police report being filed, though the teacher has not faced any criminal charges.

Superintendent Mike Hyatt stated that the actions taken by the teacher were considered a form of child neglect. “We found it, we dealt with it, we handled it appropriately, we turned it over to the proper authorities,” he said.

Teacher's Response and Denial of Allegations

Sawyer Masonjones, the teacher involved, denied the allegations. He explained that he was teaching a health class where students could earn college credits. “No, I was not letting students vape,” he said. “Students are clever. They hide things like vaping. I don't know to the extent of which students were vaping in my class, but if I had known that there was for sure vaping, I would have intervened.”

Masonjones also denied having private lunches with female students. “That is the craziest thing in all this, because that flat-out was not happening,” he said. He added that students would come eat their lunch in the room, and he would be at his desk eating his own lunch.

Despite the police report being filed, Masonjones said he was unaware of the involvement of law enforcement until Target 7 informed him. He claimed no investigator reached out to him directly.

Investigation and School Board Hearing

According to the police report, officers notified the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department. Hyatt described the classroom environment as unprofessional, noting that the teacher was sitting with his feet up on the desk, watching TikTok, laughing, and cussing.

After being fired, Masonjones appealed the decision to the school board. During a two-day hearing, he admitted he could have done a better job with his class. He requested the hearing to be made public, stating, “I needed to improve when it came to student discipline and enforcing the rules.” However, the school board upheld the firing.

Hyatt noted that Masonjones did not deny the allegations but tried to make excuses. “He actually doesn't deny it and tries to make excuses for some of it,” Hyatt said. “And then at times he's saying, 'Well, I can get better. Please give me a second chance.'"

Union Leadership and Retaliation Claims

Masonjones claimed he was being retaliated against because he recently became president of the Gallup teachers’ union. “Literally the day after I became union president and informed the district of that, they put me under investigation,” he said. He alleged that the district lacked a case and fabricated accusations.

Hyatt revealed that the investigation began after the district found Masonjones sending union emails while he should have been teaching. Target 7 obtained these emails and found conversations between Masonjones and the state union president about writing an op-ed criticizing Hyatt. Hyatt stated that the state union president discussed ways to harm the district with negative publicity.

Whitney Holland, the state union president, argued that an investigation should not have been launched over the emails. “You're making the choice to remove someone from the classroom because they sent an email,” Hyatt said. “And I refuse to believe that anyone in any professional capacity has not done some level of personal or union work during their workday.”

Background and Previous Employment

During the investigation, more details emerged about Masonjones’ background. Hyatt revealed that he was previously fired from a teaching job in Florida for "performance issues." He also claimed that Masonjones lied during the hiring process, stating he simply left Florida instead of being terminated.

Masonjones disputed this, saying he resigned. “I was not terminated from that school,” he said. “I was offered resignation or non-renewal, which is pretty common for a first-year teacher.”

Ongoing Legal Proceedings

Whether or not charges will be filed against Masonjones remains uncertain. Target 7 has reached out to the Gallup Police Department, but no response has been received yet.

The district and Masonjones are set to go through arbitration to see if a compromise can be reached. In the meantime, Masonjones continues as the union president.