Opinion

Let’s be reasonable in duct-tape case

Posted March 03, 2012 5:00 am

A Graham Elementary 10-year old child duct-taped his wrists at the alleged “order” of a substitute teacher. When school was over, the child went home “with duct tape on his wrists.” The teacher, with a 10-year unblemished record, was fired. The child’s parents declined to sue. Case closed!

But who besides the teacher is harmed? I have questions. 1) Since the taped child wrapped his own wrists, he had to have been disruptive. Is this fact or speculation? 2) Just what would have been the basis of a lawsuit by the kid’s parents? 3) What corrective action if any should the teacher have taken? The school authority is mum on this point. 4) The teacher was responding to a “discipline situation” when the child taped his/her wrists. 5) Who got the tape out of the drawer? The teacher “watched.” The other students “watched.” It had to be the child-taper.

Responsible school officials are not named. Janet Buglio is the spokeswoman but not directly involved. With such knee-jerk administrators, I would not want to teach at Graham Elementary either.

Thaddeus Kochanny

Ingleside

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