Abuse by grandson's teacher

[vsand2]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee

Last March my 10 year old grandson was punished by his teacher. She placed a piece of construction paper on the floor in the front of the class and made him stand on it for the rest of the day, which was about 5 hours. He was not allowed to speak and the rest of the class were told to ignore him as if he was not a member of the class.

My grandson did not come home and tell us about this. We found out when another teacher heard about it and called us. We went to the principal of the school to complain. She was not aware of the incident and said she would investigate the situation. She told us later that she had spoken to the teacher and it had been handled.

My grandson has ADHD and it was at one of his counciling sessions that we were told that he has been extremely tramatized by this incident. Hence my writing in this forum.

Do we have any recourse for this behavior? Would an attorney take a case like this? If so, what type of attorney do we need?

Thanks

 

[swrdmbo]

Why is your first course of action to sue?If you just heard about this from someone else do you know all the details? If your grandson has ADHD was he constantly disrupting the class and the teacher was trying out a way to keep that from happening? Are you sure it was 5 hours? No lunch?

Well..maybe you are not seeking a resolution...maybe just a settlement. Sigh....

 

[vsand2]

swrdmbo:

There is much more to this situation that space on this site would not allow.

Yes, he did misbehave and was sent to the principal's office. She reprimanded him and gave him a suitable punishment and sent him back to class. His teacher took it upon herself to decide that the given punishment was not enough. That is when she stood him on the piece of paper.

Yes, he did get to go to lunch and then he came back to the classroom and stood back on the paper. 5 HOURS!

No he did not come home and tell us about it because he was embarrassed by the situation. Yes, another teacher did hear about it and felt like it was something that was inappropriate and called us.

Filing a suit was not our first option. It was brought to the attention of the principal. We had hoped for an agreeable solution to the situation. The teacher admitted to the principal that she lost her temper and should not have punished him after the principal had already made a decision about punishment. She apoligized to the principal and stated that it would never happen again.

From that day on, my grandson's whole attitude about school changed and his grades started to drop dramatically. He started getting into a lot of trouble at school. That is when we took him to a counselor. After numerous visits, it came out about the situation at school. The counselor told us that it has tramatized him and that is why he is having such a difficult time in school now.

I don't want a sum of money. Money was never mentioned in my post. Is that all lawyers are used for?

I thought I could come here and get some legal advise about the responsibility a public school has in the treatment of their students and the consequences for a teacher when she /he uses extremely bad judgement in the punishment of a child.

If this type of sarcastic advice is all I am going to receive from swrdmbo, please do not comment on my post again. I posted here because i am concerned about my grandson.

 

[OldandTired]

Last March my 10 year old grandson was punished by his teacher. She placed a piece of construction paper on the floor in the front of the class and made him stand on it for the rest of the day, which was about 5 hours. He was not allowed to speak and the rest of the class were told to ignore him as if he was not a member of the class.

Wow! You mean there are teachers left in this world that dare try to discipline a student in school? Good for her!

My grandson has ADHD and it was at one of his counciling sessions that we were told that he has been extremely tramatized by this incident.

While I'm not a doctor, I have read the case studies in the New England Journal of Medicine, (my nephew was misdiagnosed), that there are more children diagnosed that are really not ADHD, but are diagnosed as such and medicated. Being ADHD doesn't excuse misbehaving. You're old enough to know this.

Do we have any recourse for this behavior? Would an attorney take a case like this? If so, what type of attorney do we need?

You need an attorney that will tell you that there really isn't enough discipline in the schools anymore because there are TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT WANT TO SUE FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHATSOEVER! Sorry lady, you struck a nerve with me on this one. I remember my few times of having to grab my ankles while my teacher and the one from the room next door watched as I got my butt spanked with a paddle because I was acting up.

You should be thanking the teacher for teaching your grandson respect and how to behave in public. They usually do this when the parents fail to. Seems too many people think that it's up to everyone else to raise their children for them, and then when they do, people like you ask about how to sue. I'd be a millionaire right now if my parents were able to sue the school every time one of us 4 kids got a spanking in school.

Instead, for getting the spanking in school, we got another one when we got home for getting the one we got in school! That was raising a child to learn respect!

 

[OldandTired]

I posted here because i am concerned about my grandson.

Then get the parents to teach their son how to behave, and you won't have to post anything like this again.

 

[vsand2]

Well, I see that this is not the place for me. I honestly thought I could get some help here, but I was wrong.

For eveyone's information before I terminate my new membership, my grandson was a straight A honor roll student before this incident. He had never been in trouble before in all of his years at school. The incident that got him sent to the office was a minor occurance and that is the way the principal saw it also.

We do still spank in our family. I am from the old school that still believes in keeping a child in line and having him/her have consequenses for bad choices. I am not some young mother that only uses "time out."

I was looking for a solution to a problem that has developed because of the actions of one teacher. I see I am not going to get help or that solution on this forum.

 

[vsand2]

Then get the parents to teach their son how to behave, and you won't have to post anything like this again.

There are not any parents. We, as grandparents, are raising our grandson.

 

[Humusluvr]

There are not any parents. We, as grandparents, are raising our grandson.

You cannot sue. No lawyer would take this case, unless they just wanted YOUR money and to waste time.

There was no monetary loss. There was no physical abuse.

The principal handled it.

All you can do is suggest to your grandson not to get in more trouble.

 

[Perky]

I agree with you that the punishment was inappropriate. However, I'm not sure what you are asking. What do you hope to accomplish in court?

For the future, if your grandson has a diagnosis of ADHD, you may be able to get a 504 plan for him which may be able to outline appropriate consequences for misbehavior.

 

[picaso2]

I have been a teacher for 26 years. I understand where the woman is coming from because I have seen my share of cruel and demeaning teachers that get away with such behavior towards children. This teacher is wrong. And the rest of you sound self righteous and judgmental. There is appropriate punishment that is effective and their is punishment that is belittling of a child. I encourage this Grandmother to pursue this with in the school district with the hope that the school would provide the teacher with some effective classroom management skills.

 

[Humusluvr]

I have been a teacher for 26 years. I understand where the woman is coming from because I have seen my share of cruel and demeaning teachers that get away with such behavior towards children. This teacher is wrong. And the rest of you sound self righteous and judgmental. There is appropriate punishment that is effective and their is punishment that is belittling of a child. I encourage this Grandmother to pursue this with in the school district with the hope that the school would provide the teacher with some effective classroom management skills.

This person posted here, asking us what we thought. We told her. When did that become self righteous and judgmental? That's why the OP CAME HERE.

Pursue WHAT? Should the OP get to go OBSERVE the teacher's classroom, and perhaps flog her a bit? Would the OP even want that?

No, the OP has no case, and was told that. The principal handled it.

 

[Humusluvr]

I am really sorry that your grandson was treated in this manner by a teacher...I would love to talk to you without this forum because I have a child whose rights at school don't matter. I don't want to post what because of all the people that don't understand our situation.

I am thankful for the teacher that posted......



There should not be treatment to a student in that manner by someone who is suppose to be TEACHING our kids. not belittling them making them feel less than human...And you did say the principal already took care of it.

Wish I had your email....I would love to talk to you …I would love to talk to the teacher too..I believe picaso2 has more great advice...We need more people that relate to us

I believe that some people are great teachers and others are teachers just there for a job.

I say stay in there until the teacher receives her punishment....I can relate. I believe that you are not doing this for the money...but for the principle of it...The teachers, the principals, the whole school system is suppose to be examples to our kids..Where else do we turn but to a lawyer? The schools don’t help the Administrations won’t help…and in many cases even a lawyer won't help....It is an awful feeling.

I have not taken my situation to a lawyer. I stand alone...No one wants to get involved because it is Me, the little person vs. the Principal..Believe it or not there are teachers that are on my side but they don’t want to lose their job…and I don’t want them to lose their job either. They are afraid of the principal and he makes them cry and puts them down..

I have posted my situation on another forum and was told I let my kids TATTLE, or that i need to give tough love or that maybe my daughter needs to lose weight or that my kids whine too much....WHATEVER....These people have opinions like everyone else, but why be so cruel...Not everyone is the same and if it were their child you can bet they would be at the front of the line to sue or do something to make it up to their child...

Almost seems to me that some of these people have nothing better to do than blog and put others down.

OldandTired said “Then get the parents to teach their son how to behave, and you won't have to post anything like this again.” That is harsh because he does not know you…


I totally agree with what you said…..“If this type of sarcastic advice is all I am going to receive from swrdmbo, please do not comment on my post again. I posted here because i am concerned about my grandson.”

This person had no idea you were raising your grandson…WITHOUT his parents.

My daughter has disabilities and she is treated like a dog at school by teachers and the principal It is a bit different, but abuse is abuse.....

Again I am so sorry your grandson was treated that way..[/I][/I][/I][/I][/B]

This is a legal forum, not a blog.

If you want something to change in your life, get involved in your children's school. Quit whining and do something.

Ask a legal question, and we will give you answers. On your own thread.

 

[mommyof4]

ok...I am posting my own thread...mskittyjo...find it.

Wow. Did you just issue a snotty order to a senior member, who is a volunteer, to find your thread?

Well, I don't know how nice everyone else will be, but I can say for myself that if and when I see it, I will personally refrain from answering. It'll be hard because I just know that I will have some particularly pointed comments, but I'll win my battle with my inner demons.

Find it, indeed.

 

[Humusluvr]

Wow. Did you just issue a snotty order to a senior member, who is a volunteer, to find your thread?

Well, I don't know how nice everyone else will be, but I can say for myself that if and when I see it, I will personally refrain from answering. It'll be hard because I just know that I will have some particularly pointed comments, but I'll win my battle with my inner demons.

Find it, indeed.

Ah, the curse of the internet, that we don't know if she was being snotty or just curt.

I'm thinking, since I Googled her screen name and found all of her whining throughout the internet, that she just wants someone to tell her she can sue.

 

[Humusluvr]

I am not snotty....and I do not want to sue anyone...I just believe in standing up for what I believe....You are the one being snotty. a Jerk...because you have the knowledge that some of us may not have, because you use big words that some of us may not know...If it makes you feel greater than thou, go ahead...you don't impress me....I believe in what comes around goes around...and it comes when you least expect it...YOU are not better than me..You don't even know me.

What is your legal question?