Texas Child Suspended After Hugging Aide

December 11, 2006
Texas Child Suspended After Hugging Aide
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:30 p.m. ET

WACO, Texas (AP) -- School administrators gave a 4-year-old student an
in-school suspension for inappropriately touching a teacher's aide
after the pre-kindergartner hugged the woman.

A letter from La Vega school district administrators to the student's
parents said that the boy was involved in ''inappropriate physical
behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment''
after he hugged the woman and he ''rubbed his face in the chest of
(the) female employee'' on Nov. 10.

DaMarcus Blackwell, the father of the boy who attends La Vega Primary
School, said he filed a complaint with the district. He said that his
son doesn't understand why he was punished.

''When I got that letter, my world flipped,'' Blackwell said in a
story in Sunday's editions of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

La Vega school district officials said student privacy laws prevented
them from commenting.

After Blackwell filed a complaint, a subsequent letter from the
district said the offense had been changed to ''inappropriate physical
contact'' and removed references of sexual contact or sexual
harassment from the boy's file.

Administrators said the district's student handbook contains no
specific guidelines referring to contact between teachers and students
but does state that inappropriate physical contact will result in a
discipline referral.

The La Vega school district, which has five schools, covers about 30
miles around Waco.

omfg that is the saddest thing i have every heard. like nowadays, ppl
aren't allowed to thank a person? little children need to stop being
given mixed messages. half of us say, kiss your daddy goodnight, and be
affectionate. then the others give SUSPENSIONS! what on earth! lmao...
Aviendha u682951
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It sounds as if four-year-olds are supposed to be as street-smart as
adults (and what's wrong with hugging your Teacher at that age?).
That's really very sad!
citizen schrieb:

December 11, 2006
Texas Child Suspended After Hugging Aide
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:30 p.m. ET

WACO, Texas (AP) -- School administrators gave a 4-year-old student an
in-school suspension for inappropriately touching a teacher's aide
after the pre-kindergartner hugged the woman.

A letter from La Vega school district administrators to the student's
parents said that the boy was involved in ''inappropriate physical
behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment''
after he hugged the woman and he ''rubbed his face in the chest of
(the) female employee'' on Nov. 10.

DaMarcus Blackwell, the father of the boy who attends La Vega Primary
School, said he filed a complaint with the district. He said that his
son doesn't understand why he was punished.

''When I got that letter, my world flipped,'' Blackwell said in a
story in Sunday's editions of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

La Vega school district officials said student privacy laws prevented
them from commenting.

After Blackwell filed a complaint, a subsequent letter from the
district said the offense had been changed to ''inappropriate physical
contact'' and removed references of sexual contact or sexual
harassment from the boy's file.

Administrators said the district's student handbook contains no
specific guidelines referring to contact between teachers and students
but does state that inappropriate physical contact will result in a
discipline referral.

The La Vega school district, which has five schools, covers about 30
miles around Waco.

"citizen" wrote in message
...
December 11, 2006
Texas Child Suspended After Hugging Aide
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:30 p.m. ET


copyrighted material deleted

There are some major details missing, like what other things happened?

Who reported the incident? Was it the aide? A teacher? Another parent? Did
the kid complain?

What was the woman wearing? Why was he hugging her?

A suspension certainly seems to inappropriate, but we don't know what
happened.

Jeff

Jeff wrote:

There are some major details missing, like what other things happened?

Who reported the incident? Was it the aide? A teacher? Another parent? Did
the kid complain?

What was the woman wearing? Why was he hugging her?

A suspension certainly seems to inappropriate, but we don't know what
happened.

When discussing a four year old who hugged someone, I really
don't think that any other details are all that pertinent..
--
Ruth

"Ruth Baltopoulos" wrote in message
news:9xyfh.3422$_55.3166@trndny09...
Jeff wrote:

There are some major details missing, like what other things happened?

Who reported the incident? Was it the aide? A teacher? Another parent?
Did the kid complain?

What was the woman wearing? Why was he hugging her?

A suspension certainly seems to inappropriate, but we don't know what
happened.

When discussing a four year old who hugged someone, I really don't think
that any other details are all that pertinent..

Exactly. Even if he did something totally inappropriate, I would worry more
about abuse of the child by someone else. If it was something off tv, he
should just be told it is inappropriate.

toypup wrote:

"Ruth Baltopoulos" wrote:

When discussing a four year old who hugged someone, I really don't think
that any other details are all that pertinent..

Exactly. Even if he did something totally inappropriate, I would worry more
about abuse of the child by someone else. If it was something off tv, he
should just be told it is inappropriate.

This type of article makes me feel completely disgusted with
the decisions of some of our 'educators'. It is completely
ludicrous to 'suspend' a four year old. In attempting to
envision even a single scenario where I would find a child
that age to be responsible for their actions/reactions to
the point that I would feel suspension was appropriate, I
come up flat...
--
Ruth

citizen wrote:
December 11, 2006
Texas Child Suspended After Hugging Aide
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:30 p.m. ET

WACO, Texas (AP) -- School administrators gave a 4-year-old student an
in-school suspension for inappropriately touching a teacher's aide
after the pre-kindergartner hugged the woman.

A letter from La Vega school district administrators to the student's
parents said that the boy was involved in ''inappropriate physical
behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment''
after he hugged the woman and he ''rubbed his face in the chest of
(the) female employee'' on Nov. 10.

DaMarcus Blackwell, the father of the boy who attends La Vega Primary
School, said he filed a complaint with the district. He said that his
son doesn't understand why he was punished.

''When I got that letter, my world flipped,'' Blackwell said in a
story in Sunday's editions of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

La Vega school district officials said student privacy laws prevented
them from commenting.

After Blackwell filed a complaint, a subsequent letter from the
district said the offense had been changed to ''inappropriate physical
contact'' and removed references of sexual contact or sexual
harassment from the boy's file.

Administrators said the district's student handbook contains no
specific guidelines referring to contact between teachers and students
but does state that inappropriate physical contact will result in a
discipline referral.

The La Vega school district, which has five schools, covers about 30
miles around Waco.

Does this mean that the aide complained? About a 4 year old? If so,
she should not be around children of any age.
yD

"Ruth Baltopoulos" wrote in message
news:5Azfh.4160$it5.1651@trndny06...
toypup wrote:

"Ruth Baltopoulos" wrote:

When discussing a four year old who hugged someone, I really don't
think
that any other details are all that pertinent..

Exactly. Even if he did something totally inappropriate, I would worry
more
about abuse of the child by someone else. If it was something off tv,
he
should just be told it is inappropriate.

This type of article makes me feel completely disgusted with
the decisions of some of our 'educators'. It is completely
ludicrous to 'suspend' a four year old. In attempting to
envision even a single scenario where I would find a child
that age to be responsible for their actions/reactions to
the point that I would feel suspension was appropriate, I
come up flat...
--
Ruth

Well, I can think of one. In my former district, when efforts had been made
to contact a parent and the parent has not been willing to return phone
calls, come to a conference, or similar things, a suspension can be issued
which must be cleared by the parent in person at the school. Now, the parent
can clear that suspension any time within the next three days and the child
never actually misses school, but based on the paperwork, the child was
suspended.

Let's say that this child has a history of rather aggressive or possibly
sexual behaviors towards staff and other children, and the teachers are
concerned and want to talk to the parent, not to punish the child, but to
try to set up a plan to help the child. The parent has repeatedly ducked any
efforts in communication.

The next time something happens, it is very possible, in my district, that a
"suspension" could be issued as outlined above for the purpose of getting
the parent to discuss the situation. Now, imagine that the media got word of
that suspension-the report would likely look a lot like that news article,
with no mention that the primary reason for the suspension was to get the
parent to come to school for a conference, not a single incident of behavior
or as a punishment for the child (and frankly, for a four year old, getting
to stay home with mommy is hardly a punishment. At that age, there's no
grade consequence, and a child is hardly going to understand what a
suspension means!)

There is ALWAYS two sides to every story.

Jeff wrote:
There are some major details missing, like what other things happened?

There was a story about it on cnn.com.

Who reported the incident? Was it the aide? A teacher? Another parent? Did
the kid complain?

The aide complained. The kid was getting ready to get on the schoolbus,
and was hugging her goodbye.

What was the woman wearing? Why was he hugging her?

Ummm... she was in a school, which suggests she was just wearing
regular clothes - ie, not a leather halter top or anything.

A suspension certainly seems to inappropriate, but we don't know what
happened.

You know what... I'm not sure what else *could* have happened. If he
had done something *truely* inappropriate, like pinch her nipples or
reached into her bra or or bit her or something, then I doubt the
school would have been willing to change the school record. But they
were willing.

Cathy Weeks