Racism, abuse and Nazi salutes: How Tampa teacher Todd Harvey escaped censure over sick behavior
TAMPA, FLORIDA: Todd Harvey, a teacher from Florida, has been charged with harassing students, making racial remarks, and throwing petty attacks. Several of the accusations go back decades, but a former student from Hillsborough County Public Schools has now come forward to discuss her interactions with Harvey.
Harvey was regarded as a "mercurial white man" in Hillsborough County Public Schools, where he has taught since the late 1990s. There are several complaints against Harvey, a social studies teacher at Wharton High School in Tampa, including reports that he called Melanie Copeland, a biracial student, a "mutt" and gave a Nazi salute to a German student in the classroom. Copeland reported to Tampa Bay Times about Harvey's treatment of her family after reading an article on sexual harassment at the local Hillsborough County high school. The report published at least 23 allegations of wrongdoing against Harvey, ranging from making crude remarks to students to explicitly racist gestures.
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'I thought I was the only one'
Harvey was allegedly curious about Copeland's race on official documents and eventually told her to put down "mutt." Copeland stated, "I thought I was the only one who had a serious problem with Hillsborough County trying to sweep things under the rug," as reported by Tampa Bay Times. She was unaware that parents and teachers had been criticizing Harvey long before she was even born.
Copeland, who later transferred to another high school, claimed that she continues to hear complaints about Harvey's behavior, according to DailyMail. She stated, "There are several students that have come into contact with me about his behaviors/ actions."
Copeland added, "There are many incidents since 2017 that are probably undocumented, that the school board is illegally destroying files that have to be retained for a number of years. For example, my file has been destroyed when they had to keep it for a couple more years."
Who is Todd Harvey?
Harvey started working as the in-school suspension supervisor at Walker Middle School in August 1997. He came to Riverview High School the next year, where he continued to oversee in-school suspension and coach baseball. He moved to Wharton High School in August 2000 to accept a position as a social studies teacher.
Harvey has been accused of acting inappropriately during his career by both parents and students, according to DailyMail. At some point in 1999, a student charged Harvey with constantly degrading students and making it difficult for them to focus because of the ruckus. A parent complained about Harvey in December 1999, claiming the teacher humiliated children whose parents had separated and that his methods of discipline appeared to resemble harassment.
Accusations against Todd Harvey
It took George Gaffney, the principal of Wharton, six years, until September 2006, to discipline Harvey for allowing students to bribe him to raise their scores and for making improper comments to them.
A parent informed the new Wharton Principal Bradley Woods in October 2008, two years after Harvey declined to reschedule a test so that a student could celebrate a Jewish holiday. Harvey gave in ultimately, but the student failed and received a D mark for missing additional material that was covered in the exam.
In October 2014, a mom by the name of Kathy Brothers expressed concern about a German exchange student she was hosting who was struggling in Harvey's class. The student stated that Harvey bullied her and nicknamed her "Germany" instead of her name. Brothers had earlier stated that Harvey had given another German exchange student the Nazi salute.
Has Todd Harvey been held accountable?
Harvey's treatment of the German exchange student was the subject of an investigation by the district in November 2014. This came after Brothers complained that he made fun of the student in front of her classmates.
During the course of the investigation, eight more students made a number of accusations against Harvey, including that he had made fun of Latino students, called a transgender student a slur, insulted women, used inappropriate nicknames, and threatened to smash a metal bar across their desks if he fell asleep.
Harvey received a five-day suspension without pay in March 2015, following the conclusion of the investigation. He was warned that any further improper encounters with students would probably lead to his termination. Harvey is reportedly still teaching social studies at Wharton, although his name is no longer displayed on the school's website.
Tanya Arja, a district representative, said in a statement citing Harvey's background that concerns are often handled at the school level, where problems might not be documented or brought to the district's notice. Arja said, "Incidents involving Mr. Harvey were investigated, and he was disciplined in a progressive manner," according to DailyMail.