Duct Tape Used By Teacher To Silence 4th Grader - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Janice · 09-20-2012, 12:08 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...6pLid%3D207890

^ VIDEO

Duct Tape Used By Teacher To Silence 4th Grader

The mother of a Louisiana fourth grader whose mouth was taped shut by a substitute teacher who wanted to stop him from talking in class is seeking to bring criminal charges against the school district and the impatient educator. Michelle Droddy, whose nine-year-old son is a student at J. Wallace James Elementary School in Lafayette, told KATC TV that it took her nearly a week to figure out why he came home so "extremely upset" Sept. 12.

"He just told me he didn't want to go back to school no more, and he didn't want to be friends with no one in his class, or the school," Droddy told the station.
Only after school administrators talked to almost 100 students did she learn that a substitute teacher used red duct tape, normally used for arts and crafts projects, to quiet her son.

Pat Cooper, superintendent for the Lafayette Parish Schools, agreed that the teacher "didn't use very good judgement." He called the incident "very serious" and said it was "outside the boundaries of what seems to be common sense. You just don't do that to children."

Cooper said the teacher had been disciplined and a police report was filed Tuesday because of possible battery charges. Droddy said she intends to pursue criminal action.

"He has to face these same kids for the rest of the year that were sitting there laughing at him," she said. "The embarrassment and the shame that goes along with having someone you're supposed to respect that comes and duct tapes your mouth shut in front of everybody."

The incident is hardly the first or only time a teacher has resorted to tape to quiet a chatty student. None other than school reformer and former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee has admitted to using tape to quiet a noisy cafeteria. She later said she admitted to the technique "to express how difficult the first year of teaching can be."

Family Ties Forever! · 09-20-2012, 03:21 PM

That's awful. The substitute teacher should not have done that.

retrofan05 · 09-20-2012, 04:33 PM

How in the world could this substitute think this was an acceptable form of discipline?

andress_jade · 09-20-2012, 05:43 PM

I'm currently in college studying to be a teacher of small children or work in a daycare, and I would never, ever use duct tape of any kind to discipline a child.

Coffeecup · 09-20-2012, 06:58 PM

Was the student that bad or was the teacher a kook?. I can't image what the situation was all about but to tape a child's mouth. The teacher is a kook. In my day the teacher dropped a book to get the classes attention.

Penny Lane · 09-21-2012, 10:16 AM

Back in the "olden days" in the 50's when I was in 2nd grade the teacher put scotch tape on my mouth for whispering in class. We thought nothing about it! But after that I was really careful in the future!

Paddlings and standing in the corner and stuff like that was never questioned. I see nothing wrong with taping up an unruly child's mouth. But I have to admit that removing duct tape would be more painful than removing scotch tape! Incidentally that 2nd grade teacher was the only one in all of my school years to do anything like that. I was generally well behaved and never got in trouble. When I think back I always regarded her as mean.

But I probably deserved it.

09-20-2012, 12:08 PM	#1
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Duct Tape Used By Teacher To Silence 4th Grader http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...6pLid%3D207890 ^ VIDEO Duct Tape Used By Teacher To Silence 4th Grader The mother of a Louisiana fourth grader whose mouth was taped shut by a substitute teacher who wanted to stop him from talking in class is seeking to bring criminal charges against the school district and the impatient educator. Michelle Droddy, whose nine-year-old son is a student at J. Wallace James Elementary School in Lafayette, told KATC TV that it took her nearly a week to figure out why he came home so "extremely upset" Sept. 12. "He just told me he didn't want to go back to school no more, and he didn't want to be friends with no one in his class, or the school," Droddy told the station. Only after school administrators talked to almost 100 students did she learn that a substitute teacher used red duct tape, normally used for arts and crafts projects, to quiet her son. Pat Cooper, superintendent for the Lafayette Parish Schools, agreed that the teacher "didn't use very good judgement." He called the incident "very serious" and said it was "outside the boundaries of what seems to be common sense. You just don't do that to children." Cooper said the teacher had been disciplined and a police report was filed Tuesday because of possible battery charges. Droddy said she intends to pursue criminal action. "He has to face these same kids for the rest of the year that were sitting there laughing at him," she said. "The embarrassment and the shame that goes along with having someone you're supposed to respect that comes and duct tapes your mouth shut in front of everybody." The incident is hardly the first or only time a teacher has resorted to tape to quiet a chatty student. None other than school reformer and former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee has admitted to using tape to quiet a noisy cafeteria. She later said she admitted to the technique "to express how difficult the first year of teaching can be."

09-20-2012, 03:21 PM	#2
Family Ties Forever! Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 16, 2002 Location: Keaton residence Posts: 10,214	That's awful. The substitute teacher should not have done that.
	__________________ Jenny

09-20-2012, 05:43 PM	#4
andress_jade Life Goes On... Moderator Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2004 Location: Iola, KS or Glenbrook Posts: 1,220	I'm currently in college studying to be a teacher of small children or work in a daycare, and I would never, ever use duct tape of any kind to discipline a child.
	__________________ In Memoriam: John Ritter, Hayden Rorke, Sidney Sheldon, Bob Denver, Don Knotts, Andy Griffith, Elizabeth Montgomery, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, David Angell, Christopher Reeve, Shirley Temple Black, Larry Hagman, Lucille Ball, Patrick Swayze, Robin Williams, Alan Thicke, Mary Tyler Moore, Prince, George Michael, Jim Nabors, John Mahoney, Penny Marshall, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

09-21-2012, 10:16 AM	#6
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,262	Back in the "olden days" in the 50's when I was in 2nd grade the teacher put scotch tape on my mouth for whispering in class. We thought nothing about it! But after that I was really careful in the future! Paddlings and standing in the corner and stuff like that was never questioned. I see nothing wrong with taping up an unruly child's mouth. But I have to admit that removing duct tape would be more painful than removing scotch tape! Incidentally that 2nd grade teacher was the only one in all of my school years to do anything like that. I was generally well behaved and never got in trouble. When I think back I always regarded her as mean. But I probably deserved it.
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

09-20-2012, 04:33 PM	#3
retrofan05 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,111	How in the world could this substitute think this was an acceptable form of discipline?

09-20-2012, 06:58 PM	#5
Coffeecup coffeecup. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 17, 2003 Location: snoozeville Posts: 3,183	Was the student that bad or was the teacher a kook?. I can't image what the situation was all about but to tape a child's mouth. The teacher is a kook. In my day the teacher dropped a book to get the classes attention.