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Dist. 204 substitute teacher banned after duct tape incident

A substitute teacher will never work again at an Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school after doing nothing to stop a fourth-grader from binding himself with duct tape, officials said Wednesday.

The 10-year-old student who attends Graham Elementary School in Naperville came home from school on Feb. 16 and told a caregiver that he was ordered earlier that day to bind his wrists together by the substitute teacher. The caregiver then contacted police.

“We were called by the caregiver after the child came home from school with duct tape on his wrists,” said Sgt. Gregg Bell of the Naperville Police Department. “Through the investigation, we learned the student was told by a substitute teacher to do it.”

Janet Buglio, spokeswoman for District 204, which includes portions of Aurora and Naperville, said in an email that she’s not certain if the unidentified substitute teacher issued the command to the elementary student. What’s most important, she said, is that the substitute didn’t stop the child from binding himself.

The substitute teacher was in charge of the classroom and responding to a discipline situation when the student applied the tape to his own wrists, Buglio said. The duct tape came from the regular classroom teacher’s desk.

Instead of stopping the boy, who was seated at his own desk, the substitute watched.

“The substitute should never have allowed this to happen,” Buglio said.

An administrator at the school learned about the incident on the day it happened. The substitute teacher immediately was removed from the classroom. The principal also called the boy’s parents that same day.

“District 204 has taken steps to ensure the substitute will not work again in any of its schools,” said Buglio, adding that the substitute had worked in the district since 2000 without previous incident.

The boy’s parents decided not to file charges against the substitute teacher, and police say the case is closed.

While there were other students in the classroom when the boy bound his wrists, none expressed concerns or said they’re uncomfortable, district officials said. In the meantime, the principal has been speaking with parents to answer any questions they might have.

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