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Teachers suspended
Published Tuesday, March 31, 2009
WINDSOR – Three Bertie County teachers are suspended without pay following an incident last week.
The incident involved three teachers allegedly leaving a Bertie County Middle School student at a convenience store outside of Windsor. The student was allegedly left unsupervised for approximately 30 minutes.
“Our teachers have a responsibility to stand in the stead of our parents when the children are in our care,” said Bertie County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chip Zullinger. “Parents need to be able to rely on that. That didn’t happen in this incident.”
The school district investigated the incident which happened last Thursday. Assistant Superintendent Kenneth Perry headed the investigation and shared his findings with the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald.
“It started with two kids who were shadow-boxing in the back of the bus,” Perry said. “The teachers separated those students, sending one to the front of the bus.”
Perry said the student who was moved to the front of the bus wanted his iPod from where he had been sitting. His bag was passed forward and the device was not inside.
In a separate incident, a female student had to use the restroom at what Perry described as an “emergency” level, leading to the bus stopping at the convenience store at the end of County Farm Road.
The female student and a teacher went inside the store, according to Perry, and while the bus was stopped, the student was instructed to find his iPod.
“The boy went to look for his iPod, saw it in another boy’s ear and a fight ensued,” Perry said. “The boys were told to get off the bus and contact their parents to pick them up.”
One of the boys couldn’t reach his parents, Perry said, and was allowed to get back on the bus. The other spoke to a relative and was left behind.
“Obviously, neither child should have been put off the bus,” Perry said. “I don’t believe it was a decision to leave the child, but a lack of communication.”
The male student was left at the convenience store along with a teacher and the female student, who had called her parents due to an accident in the store.
“The teacher came out with the female student and asked why he (the male student) was there as the teacher should have,” Perry said. “Unfortunately, what happened was the female student’s parents picked her up and the teacher, leaving the young man there alone.”
Perry said a staff member from Bertie Middle School realized what had happened and went to get the student from the convenience store.
Dr. Zullinger said the penalties for staff members were warranted and said they were more than one day though he could not comment on specifics.
When asked if he would give additional direction to his staff, Dr. Zullinger said, “I would think it was common sense. Our adults need to be responsible for our children when they are in our care. It’s that simple. We will continue to say that and use this as an example of what cannot happen.”
The child’s father spoke to WITN-TV 7 in Chocowinity and said he was seeking an apology from the school and was contemplating legal action. Attempts by this newspaper to reach the child’s father were unsuccessful.
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Comments
Posted by myopinion (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When children are out of control, the adult needs to do what is necessary to get them back in line..but wait I forgot...the goverment has given anyone under 18 total control over authority...we can't touch them, look at them, yell at them or even attempt to use some type of disciplinary action to teach them right from wrong... I'm glad that I have raised my child to respect authority and then I don't have to worry about pressing charges because my child will not do what's right...parents wake up!!!!!!!you are in control..when your child is out of line they should be the ones get punished...not the authority especially when they are trying their best to do what's right. If the government don't change this mentality the adults will be sitting in class being tortured by the children and Bertie County will have steel bars on every building to keep these bad kids out of their property.....I fault the government and parents for letting our children think they are in control and parents can just say..I'm going to press charges so they can try and get a settlement for something that is not right!!!!!!!!!!!! Uggggggg!!!!!!! Government, you are hurting the children and making things worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make these parents teach their kids right from not...don't take them away or fire people of authority when they are trying to do what is right.... Soon you will have no one that wants to teach these kids....
Posted by bertiehomeguard (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The kid deserved it. Funny how dear ol dad suddenly pops up when the potential for some lawsuit money comes up.
Posted by Freida (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 8:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Too bad the kids can't behave anywhere...in the classroom, on a trip or even at home. Thus we have the alternative schools. All of this could be avoided if the parents would RAISE them to respect others and with some moral values instilled in them. How can a teacher even teach when the children have no desire to learn!! Where is the child's right, the one that wants to learn but can't in a disruptive classroom? The teachers need to be able to demand respect and corporal punishment needs to be brought back into the schools. It's time to stop letting the kids call the shots!!!!!
Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on April 3, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Regardless of how the child acted out those teachers are responsible for the well being of them! I raise mine with a firm hand, but I do expect him to be a child from time to time and according to some, he deserves to be choked out or left on the side of the road because of that???
I am sorry, but that is complete BS, and no one expects their child to be dropped off at an unknown location regardless of what the circumstances are! The teachers couldn't handle him, FINE, Call the police and have juvenile petitions drawn up on him!
If what the Government is doing is "firing" good teachers, I am all for it in this case. I would hate to see "bad" if these were good! These teachers made some bad decisions thats for sure.
The kid took his punishment, as the teachers will too.
Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on April 3, 2009 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
AND I am so glad the sun rises and set's on some of you people. I know ALOT of prominent people in this area that have troubled kids. Just because your child is having issues does not mean you were a bad parent, or even a bad person! At some point they will make choices for themselves and you as a parent can ONLY HOPE that they make the right choices!
You can get on the internet and flap your gums about "ohhh bad parents" but I have been to parents homes from every walk of life because of their children. Those that think they are in complete control of their childrens mind are not in control of anything.
Posted by Shtogun (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I applaud the righteous outrage in all the responses to this article.
I do have to admit to a feeling of sadness however at how such good people can totally miss the bigger issue.
Mr. / Ms. MyOpinion suggests that the government should make parents teach positive morality to children(!) Others here agree that improper behavior of children is the problem of both parents and the state school.
Perhaps if we Americans returned to the Christian religion of our forefathers, we would realize that education is the responsibility of the parent. (See Deut. 6)
If you willingly give your child over to the state to be raised, then you must content yourself with his or or moral upbringing and resolve yourself to the fact that his or her ethical philosophy will no longer be influenced by you as the parent.
Indeed, what can a parent do to compete with 8 hours a day, 5 days a week of "education?"
If you fellow citizens are upset with the product being offered by the state, then practice your rights (and God-given duty) to educatate your own children...do it quick before you no longer have such freedom.
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