Shawanee, Oklahoma – USA — A substitute teacher is under investigation in Shawnee after a parent said the man crossed the line.
The district said the parent reported that the substitute at Will Rogers Elementary School touched her daughter inappropriately.
“Some hugging and patting went on with a substitute teacher,” said Shawnee School District superintendent Marilyn Bradford.
Bradford said after the child initiated a hug with the male teacher, the substitute allegedly patted the child on the rear end as she turned to walk away.
Administrators said they didn’t know about the incident until the parent called to report it later that evening. The district launched its investigation the next day, Bradford said.
She said she doesn’t believe the substitute had malicious intent.
“You have to be very conscious of touches that you make and how those are perceived,” Bradford said.
Letters went home to parents explaining what happened and that the substitute teacher will no longer be assigned to classes in the district.
“You could characterize this as a grandfatherly type substitute who, in this case, used some poor judgment,” Bradford said.
She said as a matter of protocol, the district did file a police report. Police said they planned to conduct a thorough investigation to make sure that an inappropriate touch is all that happened.
Eyewitness News 5 declined to identify the teacher because he hasn’t been arrested or charged with any crime. The district said the man is a certified teacher who had been substituting in Shawnee schools since August. He had never taught on a full-time basis in the district.