Texas teacher accused of taping student to chair
Jun 6, 2013, 11:05 PM
(AP) – A suburban San Antonio school district said it’s reviewing training guidelines after a teacher allegedly duct taped an 8-year-old student to a chair _ a year after another teacher was accused of ordering kindergartners to take turns hitting a classmate.
Judson Independent School District spokesman Steve Linscomb said Thursday that school officials would review training guidelines to make sure “there isn’t something we are missing.” He promised appropriate changes will be made.
Linscomb said a teacher at Woodlake Elementary School taped an 8-year-old boy to a chair in May because the child was too rowdy and couldn’t be controlled. The teacher and a teacher’s aide resigned soon after.
Last year, another teacher in the district was fired and indicted for allegedly encouraging 20 students to hit a 6-year-old student who was accused of being a bully.
“We are talking about human beings and they do make mistakes. Having said that, that behavior is not excusable,” Linscomb said.
He said the district trains teachers “to be effective and as patient as they possibly can be” but that guidelines would be scrutinized to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
“Every school district has some of these issues,” he said. “But we want to make sure that in reviewing our ways and policies that we’re dealing with this in the proper manner.”
Natasha Crutchfield, the mother of the 8-year-old boy, told KENS-TV in San Antonio that she was upset at what happened to her son. “I feel that your child should be safe at school,” she said.
DeEtta Culbertson, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, said teachers could lose their certification if they abuse a child. However, it’s unclear if the incidents at the Judson district were brought to the agency’s attention.
Police are investigating the incident at Woodlake Elementary School. Linscomb said the Bexar County prosecutor’s office would review the case once that investigation is complete.
Cynthia Ambrose, the Ricardo Salinas Elementary teacher who allegedly encouraged students to hit their classmate, is awaiting trial on a charge of official oppression. A message left for her attorney, James Scott Sullivan of San Antonio, wasn’t immediately returned.
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