Moncton teacher taped teens together as punishment

November 10, 2012

Codiac RCMP in New Brunswick investigate alleged incident at Lewisville Middle School

RCMP are investigating the case of two teens who were allegedly taped together by their teacher as punishment for not getting along in class, an incident that has infuriated the mother of one of the girls at the Moncton, N.B., school.

The mother, who is not being identified, said her daughter came home from school on Wednesday with a bruised wrist.

She alleges the girls? hands were wrapped in paper towel, and then her daughter's right hand was taped to the other girl's left arm with hockey tape.

The mother said they were left taped together for an entire class because they weren't getting along, and she's livid about the method of discipline.

"I said, ?You're kidding me right? There's no way a teacher would ever do this to a child,?? the mother said.

If the girls were not getting along in class, the teen?s mother said the teacher could have found a different way to punish them.

"There's a way to deal with it and taping or whatever happened is not the way to resolve it. You send them to the principal's office and let them deal with it."

Codiac RCMP confirmed they're investigating the alleged incident at Lewisville Middle School.

CBC News reached the teacher accused in the matter at home on Friday morning. He said he appreciated the call, but could not discuss the situation during the investigation.

The mother said she doesn?t believe the school is properly dealing with her complaint, which she calls corporal punishment in a public school.

She said the teacher will be back in the classroom on Friday morning.

And as long as he's there, the mother said, her daughter will not be going to school.

"That ? teacher should be out of the school until the investigation is done,? the mother said.

Carol Murphy, an official with the Anglophone East School District, said the district is unable to comment on the allegation.

"The school district is committed to ensuring the well-being of every student and we are looking into this situation,? Murphy said.

Allegations only, says teachers' group

Heather Smith, president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association, said she could not comment on the case because of confidentiality and because she doesn't have all of the facts.

But she said she finds it "quite disturbing" that there appears to be a growing tendency for allegations against teachers to be publicized as facts in social media.

"The Department of Education has a Policy 701 that if there is a complaint against a teacher, then there is an investigator that is appointed, and then the whole situation is investigated," said Smith.

"This investigator, of course, has access to all the facts in a very confidential nature. And what has happened today is certainly not confidential, so I do find that concerning. It's only one side of the story," she said. "We can't assume that every allegation is factual, and that's what those investigations are for, to make sure the facts come out in a fair manner.

"There is a process that is set up for anyone who has complaints, whether it be students or parents. The process is they speak to the teacher first to get the other side, or other facts. If they're not satisfied there, they can go see the principal. After that, they can go to district office. So there is a step by step process in place that we really need to follow so that everyone is treated fairly."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/11/09/nb-moncton-school-discipline-723.html