Students speak out against Mr. Biblin’s behavior, admin declines comment

3–5 minutes

AHS students recount negative experiences with the absent teacher, sparking many questions and concerns

Staff Writers

David Biblin, a math teacher (Algebra 1, Personal Finance, and Business Math) who has been teaching at American for over five years, has not been seen on campus since the end of the first semester. Questions remain surrounding Mr. Biblin’s absence, and rumors have circulated among the student body regarding the situation. With administration unable, and seemingly unwilling, to facilitate a clarifying conversation, the amplification of student voice becomes increasingly necessary.

While the reasoning behind his absence is designated as confidential by district policy, many students allege that Mr. Biblin displayed a pattern of inappropriate behavior in the classroom. Reported instances of this behavior reference sexual comments directed at his students, as well as allegations of racist remarks.

Roman Marouf (10) recalls an uncomfortable experience with Mr. Biblin regarding a female TA in his Algebra 1 class last school year.

“The TA was a junior, and at that time I was a freshman,” said Marouf. “He was talking to her, and once she walked away, he came alongside me and he said, ‘She’s like my wife. I love her.’”

Vaishnav Desabhatla (12) also claims to have experienced an inappropriate interaction with Mr. Biblin, despite never having been a student in any of his classes.

“In sophomore year, I played football, and we had a game that day. I was in the class across from Mr. Biblin’s [during Flex]. He comes in and says, ‘I don’t have enough people in my Flex,’ and he pulls me and another person out. So, I’m in his Flex and he goes, ‘Oh, you play football,’ because he saw my jersey, right? I go, ‘Yes I do play football.’ Then he gave me a resistance band and told me to work out. I think he was watching me because in the middle, he’s like, ‘You’re not trying hard enough,’ which is weird as s***.”

Sathvik Jarajapu’s (10) recollection of Mr. Biblin’s Algebra 1 class involves a physical interaction between the two of them .

“I remember one time I asked him for help on a small problem, right? Then he smacked me in the back of my head. [Another] time, I wasn’t doing my work like I was supposed to, and he got mad in a really aggressive way. He took my book, cursed at me, and then shoved the book into my chest.”

Jordan Loftin (12), one of the few to file an official complaint about Mr. Biblin’s in-class behavior, was enrolled in his Personal Finance course during the first semester of this school year.

“He had come up to me in the middle of class while everybody was quiet, and out in the open, he said, ‘Do you have both parents in the house?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ So then he proceeds, ‘Okay, do they both work?’ and I go, ‘Yes, they both work.’ I was just very uncomfortable in that situation. When I was thinking about it over the week, I realized that it isn’t okay that he had said this to the only Black student in the classroom, and how inappropriate it was to ask that question in front of everybody.” These claims were confirmed by Lucy Thomas (12), who was in Loftin’s class and witnessed the event.

Aarieus Thomas White (10), another Black student who had Mr. Biblin for Algebra 1, shared similar experiences to Loftin’s. “We were going over the syllabus, and I felt like I was being racially profiled. We went over cheating, and the whole time we were talking about cheating, he was just eyeing me down.”

Aside from these instances, Loftin alleges Mr. Biblin made other generally inappropriate remarks in class.

“He also randomly just said, ‘Ladies, don’t hit boys because they will hit you back.’ And then someone asked, ‘Did you ever hit a female?’ and he goes, ‘Yes, I’ve hit my wife.’ He said this in the middle of class.”

One of the most concerning aspects of the entire situation is how district policies prevent communication on these kinds of HR issues, even for student victims, who are the ones directly affected.

When the Eagle Era requested information on the case from AHS admin, the newspaper was declined a comment from all admin. Everyone contacted from the Fremont Unified School District either did not respond or refused to comment on the issue, barred by district rules. These policies, while protecting teachers and administrators, have negatively impacted the student body by denying access to even general information regarding a teacher at the school. In lieu of even the most basic information, we, the student body, struggle to find closure.

Mr. Biblin was unable to be reached for comment.

Outside of Room 19, Mr. Biblin’s name plate had been vandalized following the removal of his belongings from the classroom. The nameplate is now cleared and “Biblin” is no longer listed next to the door. (PC: Muhammed A. Ali (11))