Teacher back to work after being placed leave over video criticizing officials over shooting threat

A Texas teacher who claimed a student threatened to shoot him was allowed back to work after being placed on administrative leave over a TikTok video criticizing officials for not taking the threat seriously.  

Patrick Durbin, a 33-year-old sixth grade studies teacher at the Waskom Middle School, was suspended in January after posting a TikTok explaining how one of his students threatened to shoot him, and even warned other kids not to come to school to avoid any potential danger. 

Durbin said he reported the threats to school administrators, but that he was brushed off and the student was allowed to remain on campus. He also claimed police were not notified about the threats.

Days later, Durbin said the east Texas school placed him on administrative leave and accused him of 'spreading false information,' and he set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a lawyer to represent him in meetings with the school. 

Though he did not raise enough money for a lawyer, the school finally reinstated Durbin on February 1.

Patrick Durbin said a student threatened him was allowed to stay on campus

The Waskom Middle School in east Texas. Durbin teaches sixth grade social studies and coaches

Durbin posted the video on January 18, and explained that after warning the school about the threats, at the end of the day he went to coach the basketball team and found the student who made the threats in the gym.  

'Nothing was done. It wasn't even reported to the police department that this kid threatened to kill a teacher in front of other students, and said he had a gun,' he said. 'Actually, in fact he told the kids "Don't come to school today cause I'm gonna shoot this person"'.

'Ya'll wonder why teachers are getting out and why teachers are quitting. It's bad administration and people covering up for kids doing this things to endanger other people's lives.'

After being placed on leave news outlets picked up the story, and the school defended its actions saying the threat had been investigated and found 'at no time were students or staff in danger.'

'Mr. Durbin's placement on administrative leave was not due to him reporting the threat to his principal. However, I am not at liberty to discuss the situation further as it is an internal personnel matter,' school superintendent Rae Ann Patty told Fox News Digital.

The school said it circulated a notice to parents after the incident and explained the threat had been investigated and that there was no danger.

Waskom Middle School superintendent Rae Ann Patty said Durbin was not placed on leave for reporting the threat

Some parents were not assuaged by the noticed, including Sarah Thompson, who told KSLA she was not okay with the student at the center of the investigation being allowed to remain at school. 

'I feel scared for my child and her classmates,' Thompson said. 

'I feel like there was a safety threat this morning with a student that was involved with these threats being allowed on campus.'

Durbin said the school advised him to hire an attorney and come in for an official meeting on February 1 to discuss the situation. 

After failing to raise the funds for representation, Durbin attended the meeting alone. Later that day he was informed he could return to school on February 6.

Durbin reported the threat at his school days after a first-grade teacher at a Virginia school was shot by a six-year-old boy who brought a gun to school.

On January 6, Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot by her student at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.

Abbey Zwerner, 25, had just finished reading a story when the child pulled out the handgun and shot her in the chest at at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6  

Attendees hold their heads down for a prayer during a vigil for Zwerner in front of the Newport News Public Schools Administration Building on Monday January 9

Zwerner's attorney, Diana Toscano, announced on last week that Zwerner was suing, and said that three school employees had warned the administration that the child had a gun in the hours before the incident.

Another teacher had also warned that the six-year-old had left a boy sobbing after showing him the gun - and threatening to shoot him if he told anyone.

Hours after Toscano's press conference, Dr Ebony Parker, the vice principal, was confirmed to have resigned. At a Newport News school board meeting on last week evening, Superintendent Dr. George Parker III was fired.