KILLEEN, Texas — A substitute teacher in Texas is out of a job, after using a controversial punishment on noisy kids. School administrators in Killeen say the teacher covered students’ mouths with duct tape and now an investigation is underway.
Fifth grade student Andy Hernandez says, “She had an idea where some kids would line up in a line and she would duct tape their mouths.”
Andy Hernandez, says the substitute teacher, who he calls Ms. Joshua, thought the classroom was getting too loud.
Killeen Independent School District officials say she put duct tape on the mouths of ten students and instructed three more students to tape their own mouths shut.
Hernandez and three of his classmates were the only ones spared.
“The thing is our table wasn’t talking so we didn’t get our mouth duct taped,” he says.
The Killeen Independent School District released a statement about the incident saying quote: “The substitute teacher was immediately removed from the classroom and barred from the campus as a result of this outrageous and unconscionable behavior. The school leadership notified child protective services of the event, and we will work closely in support of any additional investigation by law enforcement as needed.”
Hernandez says the school nurse tended to the youngsters whose mouths were taped.
“Later their mouths were hurting so they all had to go to the clinic to get ice packs,” Hernandez says.
School leaders tried to make sure the whole class was okay.
Hernandez says, “the principal came in out room and apologized for all the things and said that she is not going to teach anymore.”
The parents of all the children whose mouths were taped got a personal call from the school’s principal. Child Protective Services was notified, as well.
