McKinley County teacher Sawyer Masonjones fired after vaping, THC allegations; board upholds

Gallup-McKinley County Schools confirmed the termination of teacher Sawyer Masonjones following allegations that he allowed students to vape and use THC during class, neglected instructional duties, and engaged in inappropriate student interactions. The district said the School Board upheld Superintendent Mike Hyatt’s termination decision after a two-day public hearing; GMCS posted a press release dated July 30, 2025 and said hearings were available to watch online.

GMCS officials characterized the conduct as a breach of duty and referred the matter to outside agencies. Superintendent Mike Hyatt said, “Permitting drug use in a classroom is a serious breach of responsibility. We acted swiftly, investigated thoroughly, and referred the matter to the proper authorities…We want to be clear: Mr. Masonjones is not representative of the dedicated and professional educators of GMCS.” KOAT coverage paraphrased Hyatt adding, “We've considered it a form of child neglect by allowing underage students to smoke marijuana in class.”

During the public hearing process the teacher admitted shortcomings in classroom management while disputing other allegations. At the hearing Masonjones acknowledged he “admitted to not following proper classroom discipline and policy enforcement,” language echoed in the district release. In interviews reported by KOB he said, “I was soft on discipline. Normally, I’m able to control my classroom through conversations. I haven’t had nearly these problems in previous years.” KOB and a YouTube transcript also record Masonjones saying he felt administrators “had already formed their outlook on the situation and would not listen to any of his explanations.”

Masonjones and GMCS offered competing accounts on motive and background. KOB reports Masonjones alleged the investigation began the day after he notified the district he was the new union president, saying district leaders “decide to skip steps and progressive discipline…they made claims of misconduct that were unfounded in order to get rid of the union president.” The district criticized comments by New Mexico AFT President Whitney Holland in its press release, calling those remarks undermining to educators’ responsibilities. GMCS and local reporting also state the district learned the teacher had misrepresented his departure from a prior Florida position; Hyatt is quoted in local coverage saying the teacher was fired there for “performance issues,” while Masonjones told KOB he “was not terminated from that school... I was offered resignation or non-renewal.”

Officials say criminal or child-welfare processes were triggered but no charges were reported in initial coverage. GMCS said it reported the allegations to law enforcement and the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department; KOAT and KOB reported a police report was filed and noted Masonjones had not been charged as of their reporting. Yahoo/KRQE reporting lists two public hearing dates as May 19 and June 18 and links to the recorded hearings; GMCS’s press release and a KRQE video clip are dated July 30, 2025.

Reporting and district records include inconsistent name spellings and timeline details that warrant verification. GMCS materials list the teacher as Sawyer Masonjones and identify him as a Myamura High School teacher; some news transcripts and KOB render his name as Sawyer Mason Jones. GMCS headquarters is listed at 640 S. Boardman, Gallup, NM 87301 and the district communications line is (505) 721-1000 with public_relations@gmcs.org for records or questions.