School Employee Takes Shushing Too Far

CA school library employee suspended for allegedly Scotch taping the mouths of third graders

By Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2004

Shushing is one thing, but taping the mouths of a bunch of third graders? That's what a library employee at the Arthur C. Butler Elementary School in Elk Grove, CA, is accused of doing, prompting the school district to place her on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation.

The district acted following a March 22 complaint by an Elk Grove mother who overheard her son discussing the incident, which took place in October 2003. The event reportedly involved a library employee placing Scotch tape over the mouths of third graders for a few minutes while their class was under her supervision. School officials would not specify how many children were involved or why their mouths were taped.

Jim Elliott, the district's director of communications, declined to reveal the employee's name or her job title, but confirms that the incident took place in the school library. Butler Principal Roberta Collier told parents in a recent letter that the worker accused of "misappropriate conduct" was not a teacher.

If the investigation confirms the allegations, the employee may face a reprimand or even dismissal, district Chief of Staff Martin Cavanaugh told the Sacramento Bee, adding that the employee may have also violated the school's human-dignity policy, which requires mutually respectful treatment of students by school staff. The district is taking the matter seriously and is "disheartened whenever there's an incident that involves children," he says.