TAYLORSVILLE Utah (ABC 4 News) – A teacher was cleared of inappropriate touching between himself and students.
But the third grade teacher failed to live up to teacher standards.
ABC 4 News received an anonymous letter from a concerned parent. Her third grade child attends Taylorsville elementary and was not happy with the way Granite School District handled the situation.
“We had a parent contact us with regard to some statements his child made with regard to some inappropriate potential contact physical contact between student and teacher and it alarmed us,” says Ben Horsley, a spokesman for the district.
Horsley wouldn’t go into details about the allegations. But the parent did in the letter sent to ABC 4 News.
The parent wrote: “my child saw students massaging (teacher's) feet and back many times in class. (The teacher) would pick up kids and spin them around the room."
And he would "take out a hammer and struck the hammer near a child's hand ... telling the class "not to say anything to parents and the principal."
The teacher was suspended while the district investigated, but he's back in the school teaching.
“After an exhaustive investigation we feel we've taken the appropriate steps to ensure student safety,” says Horsley.
He says Granite school police investigated but could not find evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
But he says the teacher failed to live up to teacher standards and corrective action was taken.
According to the anonymous letter, the teacher now conducts class inside the school building where he can be watched.
But it's not good enough for the parent who contacted ABC 4 News. The parent wrote: “My child does not feel safe so I am in the process of possibly moving my child to another school because I feel that the district is not doing anything to protect my child and other students."
But one parent, whose child was in his class last year doesn't worry about this teacher.
“My daughter who could be in his class next year, I would be happy to have her in that class again,” the parent who did not want to be identified says. “I think he's a great teacher."
