How is this teacher not fired???

[momhappy]

An Ohio kindergarten teacher at Riverdale Elementary School was caught on tape physically abusing a student. She was given a 10-day suspension. I am shocked and disgusted that she wasn't terminated immediately. Most schools have strict anti-bullying campaigns/policies/programs - do they not apply to teachers too????


http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2014-05-15/story/watch-ohio-teacher-caught-video-lifting-6-year-old-boy-face-shirt-and

 

[luv2sparkle]

Oh my gosh, that makes me soooo angry! You are right! She should have been fired immediately. If I had a child in that school I would pull them out immediately if the school did not take swift action in firing that teacher. She is a big bully and her actions are bordering criminal behavior. I think the school and district are going to regret their lack of action. I'm sure that video will go viral and it will be a big lawsuit.

 

[momhappy]

I know - I can barely watch the video. Towards the end of the video, she drags him back into the bathroom and I can only imagine what she does in there…. How is this not an immediate termination????? I actually looked up the school (found the teacher on the list of staff to confirm that it was the right school) and then sent the superintendent a short email urging her termination.

 

[OreoRosies86]

I'm... Oh my gosh. That is heartbreaking.

 

[MollyMalone]

FYI: the 10-day period represents all that's left of the school year in that district & neither the school district nor local law enforcement has "closed the book" on the matter.

She may still be subject to termination, but she cannot be fired without findings of fact made upon evidence received at an adversarial hearing, i.e., "due process".

 

[momhappy]

Yes, I am aware that the case is still under investigation. My point was that you'd think that the school would have taken a firmer stance on the issue right from the get-go. I realize that further investigation is required, but there is video surveillance - it's not like it's his word against hers.

 

[NTave]

I saw that video and I cant believe she was not fired immediately. I have an idea what I would do if someone did that to my kindergartner!! The poor punkin.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Really, the only fact finding or investigation needed is to look at the video one time. There is no excuse or explanation that could possible be given to justify what is seen on that video. Oh I think they should investigate all right, after they fire her. Then they should question as many kids as they can to find out what else she has done to add to the criminal charges. She should never be allowed to teach anywhere else again.

 

[purplesparklies]

Really, the only fact finding or investigation needed is to look at the video one time. There is no excuse or explanation that could possible be given to justify what is seen on that video. Oh I think they should investigate all right, after they fire her. Then they should question as many kids as they can to find out what else she has done to add to the criminal charges. She should never be allowed to teach anywhere else again.

Ditto. That behavior is horrible and absolutely unconscionable.

 

[ame]

While it's definitely unconscionable, I would assume there's going to be a serious historical investigation--as in, is this the only child this has happened to, if she worked in other schools was she like this there, etc. They probably cannot just outright fire her til charges are brought and she's officially convicted of something, regardless of the video. That is surely one huge piece of evidence, but depending on how it was procured, etc., it might be disallowed from evidence. You'd like to hope they went about getting it the right way, but there's so many cases totally borked by unethically or illegally procured evidence or admissions.

 

[Meezermom]

Oh she will be terminated. Once the school gets a letter from their attorney regarding legal action, she will be history. I expect the parents to do this. I hope they do this. The fact that it made the news……….

 

[ruby59]

Afraid to look at vdeo as anyone hurting a child is too upsetting. Just looked at title - lifted him up by the face and shoved him into a wall. So My question is - was she arrested? And if not, why????

 

[diamondseeker2006]

She certainly will be fired. They are just covering their backsides legally. There are procedures in place before a person can be fired. If you don't follow them, you can get in trouble with unions, the person can sue, etc.

 

[momhappy]

While it's definitely unconscionable, I would assume there's going to be a serious historical investigation--as in, is this the only child this has happened to, if she worked in other schools was she like this there, etc. They probably cannot just outright fire her til charges are brought and she's officially convicted of something, regardless of the video. That is surely one huge piece of evidence, but depending on how it was procured, etc., it might be disallowed from evidence. You'd like to hope they went about getting it the right way, but there's so many cases totally borked by unethically or illegally procured evidence or admissions.

I would think that the actions taken by the school would be entirely separate from criminal charges. Why would she need to be convicted of something to be fired from her job? I've heard of teacher's losing their jobs over much less - like the Georgia high school teacher who was asked to resign after a parent complained about images on FB that showed her holding/drinking alcohol while on vacation. From what I understand, she was called into the office one morning and forced to resign on the spot (she later filed a lawsuit asking the court that she was entitled to a due process hearing, back pay, & legal fees - all of which she lost).

 

[ksinger]

While it's definitely unconscionable, I would assume there's going to be a serious historical investigation--as in, is this the only child this has happened to, if she worked in other schools was she like this there, etc. They probably cannot just outright fire her til charges are brought and she's officially convicted of something, regardless of the video. That is surely one huge piece of evidence, but depending on how it was procured, etc., it might be disallowed from evidence. You'd like to hope they went about getting it the right way, but there's so many cases totally borked by unethically or illegally procured evidence or admissions.

I would think that the actions taken by the school would be entirely separate from criminal charges. Why would she need to be convicted of something to be fired from her job? I've heard of teacher's losing their jobs over much less - like the Georgia high school teacher who was asked to resign after a parent complained about images on FB that showed her holding/drinking alcohol while on vacation. From what I understand, she was called into the office one morning and forced to resign on the spot (she later filed a lawsuit asking the court that she was entitled to a due process hearing, back pay, & legal fees - all of which she lost).

That's pretty pathetic. The teacher who is the subject of this thread notwithstanding, this sort of thing is why so many teachers are truly paranoid. The things that drive teachers from the profession are admin/working conditions, parents, and kids, in that order. Kids are a distant last. It usually isn't the kids.

It's also an excellent reason for teachers to NOT have a FB page and to keep their personal and professional lives strictly separate. My husband flat out refuses to get one. He freaks if I even post pictures of any part of our home on my page, for fear that some kid of his is going to see them (not sure how, I lock my page down pretty hard, and I don't know his kids) and use them to accuse him of molesting them or something. It HAS happened to a teacher he knows of, and the only thing that saved this teacher is the kid could NOT describe parts of the house - he had only seen a few rooms' photos on social media. No social media for him, no sir.

I suspect the teacher in question above, will be removed as soon as that district's procedures allow it.

 

[momhappy]

^Well, FB is entirely voluntary as is what you post there - anything/anywhere can be used against you. I would hope that if someone wanted/needed to maintain some sort of professionalism, then you either don't use social media or you are very careful about what you post there. When hiring new babysitters, I check FB pages and I once elected not to even interview one because she had drinking/partying images out there for the world to see (which to me, just implied a lack of common sense).
My point in posting about the teacher who was terminated for the FB pictures, was merely to demonstrate that teachers can and do get fired for much less than physically abusing a child on camera and in that particular instance, it don't take days, weeks, etc. - she was called into the office one morning and given the choice to resign or be suspended on the spot. She had also mentioned that at one point, school officials had warned teachers/staff about conducting themselves appropriately on social media.

 

[justginger]

^Well, FB is entirely voluntary as is what you post there - anything/anywhere can be used against you. I would hope that if someone wanted/needed to maintain some sort of professionalism, then you either don't use social media or you are very careful about what you post there. When hiring new babysitters, I check FB pages and I once elected not to even interview one because she had drinking/partying images out there for the world to see (which to me, just implied a lack of common sense).
My point in posting about the teacher who was terminated for the FB pictures, was merely to demonstrate that teachers can and do get fired for much less than physically abusing a child on camera and in that particular instance, it don't take days, weeks, etc. - she was called into the office one morning and given the choice to resign or be suspended on the spot. She had also mentioned that at one point, school officials had warned teachers/staff about conducting themselves appropriately on social media.

You're a tough cookie, mom! No partying pictures at all? Some of the most esteemed colleagues in my profession, with decades of experience, top notch responsibilities, and credit for saving hundreds (thousands?) of lives are still known to take drunk happy snaps at the work Christmas party, which inevitably end up on FB. I can't imagine holding it against them. I don't see a problem with (reasonable, legal) party activities, so long as they aren't done on the clock.

I am interested to know how others feel about this; I'll start a new thread.

 

[packrat]

Was just going to say that JG.

 

[momhappy]

^Well, FB is entirely voluntary as is what you post there - anything/anywhere can be used against you. I would hope that if someone wanted/needed to maintain some sort of professionalism, then you either don't use social media or you are very careful about what you post there. When hiring new babysitters, I check FB pages and I once elected not to even interview one because she had drinking/partying images out there for the world to see (which to me, just implied a lack of common sense).
My point in posting about the teacher who was terminated for the FB pictures, was merely to demonstrate that teachers can and do get fired for much less than physically abusing a child on camera and in that particular instance, it don't take days, weeks, etc. - she was called into the office one morning and given the choice to resign or be suspended on the spot. She had also mentioned that at one point, school officials had warned teachers/staff about conducting themselves appropriately on social media.

You're a tough cookie, mom! No partying pictures at all? Some of the most esteemed colleagues in my profession, with decades of experience, top notch responsibilities, and credit for saving hundreds (thousands?) of lives are still known to take drunk happy snaps at the work Christmas party, which inevitably end up on FB. I can't imagine holding it against them. I don't see a problem with (reasonable, legal) party activities, so long as they aren't done on the clock.

I am interested to know how others feel about this; I'll start a new thread.

Huh? Where did I say absolutely no partying pictures on FB? I attend numerous parities and charity events throughout the year and yes, some of the pictures end up on FB (in some of them, I may even be holding a glass of champagne). What I said was that if you have a job where you've been warned about that sort of thing, then you need to be more careful. I don't agree with the teacher being fired as a result of her FB pictures, but I will admit that I know very little about how employment works for teachers, school administrators, etc. As far as the college babysitter that I elected not to interview, I had probably 20 candidates to choose from, so it should come as no surprise that her application went to the bottom of the pile after seeing her partying pictures. My opinion was that she appeared to have a pretty busy social life on FB and since I was trying to hire someone for weekend date-night work, why would I choose someone who might not be available to meet my needs? I have found that the best sitters are the ones that want to sit around and study after they get your kids in bed

 

[ckrickett]

Really, the only fact finding or investigation needed is to look at the video one time. There is no excuse or explanation that could possible be given to justify what is seen on that video. Oh I think they should investigate all right, after they fire her. Then they should question as many kids as they can to find out what else she has done to add to the criminal charges. She should never be allowed to teach anywhere else again.

Ditto. That behavior is horrible and absolutely unconscionable.

When I was in 1st grade the same treatment befell me more then once. I was hit, and emotionally and verbally abused by my teacher all year. When my parents tried to take action that teacher had an army of angry parents behind her (she was sweet and caring to most of her students, but 1-2 a year she would use as scapegoats, I was one of the chosen). It took a long time for any action, because it was the voice of what appeared to be a misbehaved rowdy 1st grader against a beloved teacher. After she left more people came out, she was a monster.

That being said, there is evidence of a teacher abusing a child. There is no hiding behind the veil of heresy. YES an investigation should be done, but there is no justifiable reason for her actions. So what if the kid mouthed off, so what if he hit her, so what if he misbehaved all year and this was the last straw. there is zero tolerance for bullies in school, there should be ZERO TOLERANCE for any form of child abuse, especially if it is caught on tape.

I hope the school does what is right, for the safety of the kids.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ckrickett, that makes me so sad that happened to you, and angry too. Over the years, we have had a few issues with our kids with teachers but I don't think any were physically abused. I'm sure the parent of that little boy must feel so powerless. You send your kids to school hoping for the best for them, that the teacher would take an interest in them and at least be kind. So messed up all the way around.

 

[ckrickett]

It is messed up. I mean teaching is a stressful job, more stressful than I can imagine, but taking out the stress on children is just wrong.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

It is messed up. I mean teaching is a stressful job, more stressful than I can imagine, but taking out the stress on children is just wrong.

I find it odd when I hear teachers say things like, "I don't like children." Ummm...maybe you should try a different career then. Abuse is NEVER okay. I am sure charges will be filed and this lady will be fired. Like others said, there is a process to everything. CK, sorry that happened to you.

 

[TC1987]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

 

[momhappy]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

Did you actually watch the video????
The boy walks out of the bathroom and the teacher immediately attacks him. It doesn't even appear as though he says anything to her - he looks scared/intimidated while she throws him around a while. I don't care what his "history" might be - it's entirely irrelevant. You can't throw around a 6 year-old boy. Period. There is nothing in his history that would justify her behavior. If a child has behavioral problems in school, then there are a number of ways that they can be dealt with, but being bullied and physically assaulted by a teacher is not an acceptable means of disciplinary action. I agree that today's youth seem to suffer from a lack of discipline (which manifests into all sorts of issues), but throwing around a small child is not the answer, especially in an educational setting.

 

[SB621]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

Did you actually watch the video????
The boy walks out of the bathroom and the teacher immediately attacks him. It doesn't even appear as though he says anything to her - he looks scared/intimidated while she throws him around a while. I don't care what his "history" might be - it's entirely irrelevant. You can't throw around a 6 year-old boy. Period. There is nothing in his history that would justify her behavior. If a child has behavioral problems in school, then there are a number of ways that they can be dealt with, but being bullied and physically assaulted by a teacher is not an acceptable means of disciplinary action. I agree that today's youth seem to suffer from a lack of discipline (which manifests into all sorts of issues), but throwing around a small child is not the answer, especially in an educational setting.

For once I'm actually in agreement with MH.

 

[purplesparklies]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

Did you actually watch the video????
The boy walks out of the bathroom and the teacher immediately attacks him. It doesn't even appear as though he says anything to her - he looks scared/intimidated while she throws him around a while. I don't care what his "history" might be - it's entirely irrelevant. You can't throw around a 6 year-old boy. Period. There is nothing in his history that would justify her behavior. If a child has behavioral problems in school, then there are a number of ways that they can be dealt with, but being bullied and physically assaulted by a teacher is not an acceptable means of disciplinary action. I agree that today's youth seem to suffer from a lack of discipline (which manifests into all sorts of issues), but throwing around a small child is not the answer, especially in an educational setting.[/quote

No doubt. 1000% this.

 

[ame]

While it's definitely unconscionable, I would assume there's going to be a serious historical investigation--as in, is this the only child this has happened to, if she worked in other schools was she like this there, etc. They probably cannot just outright fire her til charges are brought and she's officially convicted of something, regardless of the video. That is surely one huge piece of evidence, but depending on how it was procured, etc., it might be disallowed from evidence. You'd like to hope they went about getting it the right way, but there's so many cases totally borked by unethically or illegally procured evidence or admissions.

I would think that the actions taken by the school would be entirely separate from criminal charges. Why would she need to be convicted of something to be fired from her job? I've heard of teacher's losing their jobs over much less - like the Georgia high school teacher who was asked to resign after a parent complained about images on FB that showed her holding/drinking alcohol while on vacation. From what I understand, she was called into the office one morning and forced to resign on the spot (she later filed a lawsuit asking the court that she was entitled to a due process hearing, back pay, & legal fees - all of which she lost).

Most businesses and unions (most teachers are in unions) have processes in place that require the charges to be filed at the very least before the proceedings to dismiss them from employment. Anything going outside of the process opens them up to 1) losing the case and 2) getting sued later for wrongful termination IF this person isn't actually convicted. You have to go through the processes and do it right. The video is damning, sure, but we are not involved. We have no idea what's going on, what's gone on, and what the processes and procedures are.

I know many teachers, even within my family. IF they are on social media they don't use their full or real names for starters, and never friend anyone related to work or that they teach or could teach. They also don't post much in the way of photos that could be used later against them, much like the previous poster mentioned with her husband. People are NUTS today, and just like this teacher lost it and beat someone, there's the other side, the people who make stuff up.

 

[momhappy]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

Did you actually watch the video????
The boy walks out of the bathroom and the teacher immediately attacks him. It doesn't even appear as though he says anything to her - he looks scared/intimidated while she throws him around a while. I don't care what his "history" might be - it's entirely irrelevant. You can't throw around a 6 year-old boy. Period. There is nothing in his history that would justify her behavior. If a child has behavioral problems in school, then there are a number of ways that they can be dealt with, but being bullied and physically assaulted by a teacher is not an acceptable means of disciplinary action. I agree that today's youth seem to suffer from a lack of discipline (which manifests into all sorts of issues), but throwing around a small child is not the answer, especially in an educational setting.

For once I'm actually in agreement with MH.

For once??? I was not aware that we always disagree? Maybe I just don't pay attention to who's posting what
Anyways, I'm glad that we could agree on something

 

[SB621]

Today's kids are not the kids of 20 years ago, just sayin'. Too many of today's parents let their kids run amok, and don't impress upon the kid the need to sit down and shut up and not be disruptive in a classroom. I'd like to see the school take that kid's history into consideration. Maybe he's one of those that chronically is hostile to authority and disruptive to the rest and should be tossed out. The door swings both ways.

Did you actually watch the video????
The boy walks out of the bathroom and the teacher immediately attacks him. It doesn't even appear as though he says anything to her - he looks scared/intimidated while she throws him around a while. I don't care what his "history" might be - it's entirely irrelevant. You can't throw around a 6 year-old boy. Period. There is nothing in his history that would justify her behavior. If a child has behavioral problems in school, then there are a number of ways that they can be dealt with, but being bullied and physically assaulted by a teacher is not an acceptable means of disciplinary action. I agree that today's youth seem to suffer from a lack of discipline (which manifests into all sorts of issues), but throwing around a small child is not the answer, especially in an educational setting.

For once I'm actually in agreement with MH.

For once??? I was not aware that we always disagree? Maybe I just don't pay attention to who's posting what
Anyways, I'm glad that we could agree on something

You are more conservative soul then me, that is all...usually just over parenting stuff. Bling we are always in agreement I'm sure....the more the merrier.