Family Claims Teachers Made 7-Year-Old Scrub Floor With A Toothbrush
LAKE ALFRED, FL (CBS Local) - Two teachers in central Florida have been removed from the classroom after a first-grader claimed that the educators forced her to scrub floors with a toothbrush.
The Details:
- A Florida seven-year-old says two teachers made her scrub a floor with a toothbrush
- The first-grader was allegedly being punished for talking during class
- The teachers accused have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation
The seven-year-old student at Lake Alfred Elementary reportedly told her parents that her back was hurting after a day of school in late April. When the student's mother, Ashley Kirpech, asked what had happened the child alleged that her teachers made her scrub floors as a punishment for talking in class. "She could of rearranged your bookshelf, sorted the books in ABC order, she could have done any of that but on the floor was just unacceptable," Kirpech said, via WTVR.
The child's parents claim that their daughter was also told to clean counters in an empty classroom once she finished the floor as part of the "corrective action." Polk County school officials are investigating the girl's allegations and have placed the two teachers involved on administrative leave until the case is completed.
"Our schools are required to follow a Code of Student Conduct; it is expected that all disciplinary measures be handled in a manner that is respectful to the student and preserves their dignity," school district officials wrote in a statement obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. "If true, the conditions described at Lake Alfred Elementary are completely unacceptable."
Kirpech is demanding that the teachers be punished for overreacting to her daughter's minor infraction. "I want something to happen to the teacher, not just so our child, but any child doesn't have to go through this again."
