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February 13, 2008
Sometimes a joke just isn't funny . . . it's duct tape.BoardBuzz caught this story out of Florida that made us go, "hmm." Apparently, a “middle school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida” duct taped a student to his desk. The teacher, Kasey Goodin, apparently “told investigators the taping incident was a joke.” Talk about a sticky situation.
The School Board took a different view. "It's just not funny for a child to be taped, whether it's in jest or it's a disciplinary measure," said school board chair Betty Burney. Uh, er, yeah.
But, according to Local6.com, the teacher was apparently all about the laughs, saying, "There was a light-hearted mood in the class as I walked to the supply closet and removed a roll of purple duct tape and a roll of masking tape … The class was laughing. I was laughing. The student was laughing." Adding, "This incident, was in reality, an opportunity to have fun with the students while getting a message to them.” More importantly, this left BoardBuzz wondering, where does one find purple duct tape?
But in all seriousness, what could possibly have been the message involved in taping a student to his desk? Perhaps the student was wriggling in the seat. Perhaps the ability of the student to rise at will was too much uncertainty for the instructor? Perhaps the teacher feared that without seat adhesion, the good order of the classroom was threatened? Say what? BoardBuzz is as befuddled as you, dear reader.
But, wait, then the teacher admitted acting inappropriately, adding, “Looking back, I know that it was inappropriate for me to break the lines of formality." Well, that makes BoardBuzz feel much, much better. It was the break in the lines of formality that was an issue. The act of taping the student? Not so much. Oh, we get it . . . okay, no we don’t.
The student involved has since been removed from the teacher's classroom and the teacher has been suspended without pay for 10 days. Good move. And, the School Board apparently is requiring the teacher to undergo counseling. Hello! And, some professional development, emphasis on professional, might not be a bad idea, either.
Posted February 13, 2008 11:34 AM | Teachers
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Comments(1)
Posted by: Shelly on February 13, 2008 4:01 PM
When I first read this story I was appaled and after reading what the woman said afterwards just made it worse. I'm currently going to school to be a teacher and I really don't understand where she would get that it would be ok to tape a child to something whether it was in a joking manner or not. We're told that we shouldn't even initiate hugging a child so I don't know where she got the idea that she could tape a child not only to the chair but then his hands and mouth as well. If I had my way she would never be allowed to teach again, I have zero tolerance for adults who work with children and really screw up like that.
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