4 replies to this topic

[hicksspa]

At a Hawaii Charter school, at a parent teacher conference, in front of the school Director, a teacher admitted to parents that she had hit their child, hit their child more than once, and had hit other children in the class as a method of gaining compliant behavior.  What is the school legally required to do?  Nothing?  Terminate the teacher? 

[Ted_from_Texas]

Not sure what you mean by "legally required to do."  This would be a matter to be dealt with by the school district in accordance with their established disciplinary policies and procedures.  If you believe your child suffered physical or emotional harm as a result of the "hitting," you are free to retain a personal injury attorney and sue the school district and/or the teacher for damages.

[hicksspa]

So there is no law requiring the school to take any action?   The school has no policy on this subject.

[sparkly]

A charter school is a horse of a different color. How old are the students? Is this a charter school for students who have behavioral and/or severe emotional issues? If so, then you should read any and all paperwork you signed, registering for this school and giving permission for your child to attend this school, as you may have inadvertently signed permission for this practice, or acknowledgment of how the school staff deals with non-compliance. I do NOT know if this is the case for your child or others in the classroom or the school.

Many schools dealing with special needs students who have mental health issues etc, use other, non-physical ways to handle non-compliant behavior. At the very least, get a copy of the charter and read it. The school may indeed be within its rights to do this (unfortunately).

If this is a "regular" charter school for students *without* special needs, for my two cents worth, I'd be down to the local police station so fast to file charges of battery against a minor and demand that this teacher be arrested. Then I'd get an attorney who specializes in this and find out if the teacher received any kind of sanctions or was put on administrative leave.

This site may help you as far as a state agency for charter schools in Hawaii. At the very least, they can direct you to more info. http://hcsao.org/

[hicksspa]

Thank you Sparky.  This is a regular charter school.