The Return of Reasonable Discipline in Schools??? I Don't Think So.
Substitute teacher choked boy unconscious
By Kimberly Atkins
HERALD EXCLUSIVE
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
The family of a 12-year-old Dorchester boy is demanding answers after they say he was choked unconscious by a substitute teacher in an elementary school classroom, then put on a bus and sent home after he recovered.
The incident, which Boston Public Schools officials say is under investigation, allegedly happened Thursday at the John Marshall Elementary School.
But Elemenia Jackson, the boy's grandmother and custodial parent, said the school never notified her. Instead, she found out Thursday night when a neighbor who is a classmate of the boy ran up to her as she returned home from work.
"He said the teacher asked how long does it take for a student to black out,'' she said. "Someone said `I don't know,' and she said `Well, let's try it' and then she turned and choked him.''
She said her grandson, Anthony Jackson, a fifth-grader, said the teacher wrapped her hands around his throat and choked him with such force that he lost consciousness and fell to the floor, but no one called for emergency help.
"They just sent him home,'' his grandmother said. ``They put him on the bus.''
Anthony, still reluctant to talk about the incident, said he had a headache afterward, but has since recovered. His family took him to Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center Friday morning to be checked out, but he suffered no serious injuries.
Anthony's mother, Elaine Jackson, said she went to the school Friday to find out what happened, and was given only an apology by school officials.
"That's not enough,'' she said. ``She shouldn't be in there.''
Theresa Harvey-Jackson, principal at the school, was at a conference yesterday and unable to comment. But School Department spokesman Jonathan Palumbo said that the Department of Social Services was investigating the matter, and the district would await any DSS action before deciding what, if any, disciplinary measures would be taken against the teacher, who was not identified by officials yesterday.
"The principal took the proper statements from the folks who were around and the matter was turned over to DSS,'' Palumbo said. "The person, obviously, will not be assigned to the building until the investigation is complete.''
The teacher involved was a ``cluster paraprofessional'' employed by the district and assigned as needed to help out in classrooms, Palumbo said. The Jacksons said Anthony's regular teacher has returned to the classroom.
Anthony was back in school this week, and was well enough to play a youth league baseball game yesterday, Elemenia Jackson said. But Elaine Jackson said the matter was far from over - she planned to file a police report yesterday.
This article came from the Boston Herald.
By Kimberly Atkins
HERALD EXCLUSIVE
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
The family of a 12-year-old Dorchester boy is demanding answers after they say he was choked unconscious by a substitute teacher in an elementary school classroom, then put on a bus and sent home after he recovered.
The incident, which Boston Public Schools officials say is under investigation, allegedly happened Thursday at the John Marshall Elementary School.
But Elemenia Jackson, the boy's grandmother and custodial parent, said the school never notified her. Instead, she found out Thursday night when a neighbor who is a classmate of the boy ran up to her as she returned home from work.
"He said the teacher asked how long does it take for a student to black out,'' she said. "Someone said `I don't know,' and she said `Well, let's try it' and then she turned and choked him.''
She said her grandson, Anthony Jackson, a fifth-grader, said the teacher wrapped her hands around his throat and choked him with such force that he lost consciousness and fell to the floor, but no one called for emergency help.
"They just sent him home,'' his grandmother said. ``They put him on the bus.''
Anthony, still reluctant to talk about the incident, said he had a headache afterward, but has since recovered. His family took him to Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center Friday morning to be checked out, but he suffered no serious injuries.
Anthony's mother, Elaine Jackson, said she went to the school Friday to find out what happened, and was given only an apology by school officials.
"That's not enough,'' she said. ``She shouldn't be in there.''
Theresa Harvey-Jackson, principal at the school, was at a conference yesterday and unable to comment. But School Department spokesman Jonathan Palumbo said that the Department of Social Services was investigating the matter, and the district would await any DSS action before deciding what, if any, disciplinary measures would be taken against the teacher, who was not identified by officials yesterday.
"The principal took the proper statements from the folks who were around and the matter was turned over to DSS,'' Palumbo said. "The person, obviously, will not be assigned to the building until the investigation is complete.''
The teacher involved was a ``cluster paraprofessional'' employed by the district and assigned as needed to help out in classrooms, Palumbo said. The Jacksons said Anthony's regular teacher has returned to the classroom.
Anthony was back in school this week, and was well enough to play a youth league baseball game yesterday, Elemenia Jackson said. But Elaine Jackson said the matter was far from over - she planned to file a police report yesterday.
This article came from the Boston Herald.
posted by Mike | 10:34 AM
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