onedef92
10-19-2012, 11:48am
Mom says teacher told students to spit on boy
Fourth-grader at center of incident at Shenandoah Elementary
UPDATED 9:45 AM CDT Oct 19, 2012
SHENANDOAH, Iowa - A western Iowa mother was outraged on Thursday, saying her son's music teacher instructed other students to spit on him.
Alex Kindopp said a Shenandoah Elementary School teacher is the one who first informed her of the incident. The teacher called her last Monday, and her son verified the story.
Kindopp said her 9-year-old son, Jaxon, came home from fourth grade that day upset.
Jaxon said he'd been doing a "raspberry" -- that is, sticking his tongue out and blubbering -- at a classmate, when the teacher allegedly asked how he'd like it if other students spit on him.
"My music teacher asked me how I would like it if someone did that to me," Jaxon said. "Everyone gathered around me and she said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, spit away.'"
He said the students surrounded him, spitting on his face and shoulders.
"It's degrading, humiliating, very unsanitary," Kindopp said. "He's got a major trust issue now, and not even just with teachers, but other adults. If someone does this, what else are people capable of?"
Jaxon said the only classmate who did not spit on him was Josie Casteel.
"I felt bad for Jaxon," Casteel said.
Her father, Cory Casteel, said he feels bad that his daughter is also hurting.
"It's irritating. I'm just mad because it just puts things in her head. What if it was worse than that?" he said.
Jaxon and his mother are moving to Arkansas and said the teacher should be gone, too.
"If she's going to snap over something that miniscule, what's she going to do if something else happens?" she said.
Principal Tiffany Spiegel said in a statement Thursday that the district "cannot discuss particular incidents because of student confidentiality."
"The safety and well-being of students is our district's first priority. It takes all claims of bullying and harassment seriously and investigates all complaints it receives, as well as responds as the investigation warrants," Spiegel said.
KETV NewsWatch 7 made attempts to contact the teacher, but she was not available for comment.
The status of the teacher's employment is not known, but parents who spoke with KETV said they've seen her on campus since the alleged incident.
Fourth-grader at center of incident at Shenandoah Elementary
UPDATED 9:45 AM CDT Oct 19, 2012
SHENANDOAH, Iowa - A western Iowa mother was outraged on Thursday, saying her son's music teacher instructed other students to spit on him.
Alex Kindopp said a Shenandoah Elementary School teacher is the one who first informed her of the incident. The teacher called her last Monday, and her son verified the story.
Kindopp said her 9-year-old son, Jaxon, came home from fourth grade that day upset.
Jaxon said he'd been doing a "raspberry" -- that is, sticking his tongue out and blubbering -- at a classmate, when the teacher allegedly asked how he'd like it if other students spit on him.
"My music teacher asked me how I would like it if someone did that to me," Jaxon said. "Everyone gathered around me and she said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, spit away.'"
He said the students surrounded him, spitting on his face and shoulders.
"It's degrading, humiliating, very unsanitary," Kindopp said. "He's got a major trust issue now, and not even just with teachers, but other adults. If someone does this, what else are people capable of?"
Jaxon said the only classmate who did not spit on him was Josie Casteel.
"I felt bad for Jaxon," Casteel said.
Her father, Cory Casteel, said he feels bad that his daughter is also hurting.
"It's irritating. I'm just mad because it just puts things in her head. What if it was worse than that?" he said.
Jaxon and his mother are moving to Arkansas and said the teacher should be gone, too.
"If she's going to snap over something that miniscule, what's she going to do if something else happens?" she said.
Principal Tiffany Spiegel said in a statement Thursday that the district "cannot discuss particular incidents because of student confidentiality."
"The safety and well-being of students is our district's first priority. It takes all claims of bullying and harassment seriously and investigates all complaints it receives, as well as responds as the investigation warrants," Spiegel said.
KETV NewsWatch 7 made attempts to contact the teacher, but she was not available for comment.
The status of the teacher's employment is not known, but parents who spoke with KETV said they've seen her on campus since the alleged incident.