Posted on 05/23/2007 12:20:35 AM PDT by anymouse
GALVESTON — A Scott Elementary School librarian has been charged with hitting a child with a stack of shelf markers.
Lise Van Borssum, 64, is charged with assault by contact after she was accused of striking a child on the leg with a stack of six or seven of the markers, which are similar to bookmarks. The incident is alleged to have happened April 25.
Shelf markers are thin, plastic strips that slide between shelved books to mark where material has been removed, according to a sales representative from DEMCO, a leading supplier of school library materials.
The child did not suffer any injuries from the incident, according to the arrest affidavit provided by Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Jim Schweitzer’s office.
Van Borssum pleaded not guilty Tuesday, a representative from Schweitzer’s office said. Her trial is set for May 29.
Van Borssum, who has been with the school district for almost 19 years, according to district spokeswoman Christine Hopkins, could not be reached for comment by phone.
She is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, said GISD Superintendent Lynne Cleveland.
Van Borssum is the third Galveston school district employee accused of assault by contact on a student this semester.
Alamo Elementary School teacher Leah Mullins, 53, was charged with kicking a kindergarten student in February and placed on paid administrative leave.
Schweitzer cleared her of all charges last week. School board trustees will consider rescinding her proposed termination Friday morning.
Bus driver Howard “Bud” Miller, 69, was charged with slapping a student in the back of the head in April and subsequently fired from the district. Schweitzer dismissed charges after the victim did not show up to testify in mid-May.
Miller has not been re-hired by the district.
9 times out of 10, the kid had it coming.
What this teaches the kid is nothing but negatives.
However, the teachers Unions have brought this on themselves.
Funny how the idiots teaching the kids can’t deal with
the slightest problem without calling the cops. They
call the cops on the kids for pointing a chicken tender
shaped like a gun so anything goes after that.
What’s the probability the librarian is a typical leftist librarian?
Very high. The ALA is a leftist organization.
If I had come home and complained to my mother that one of my teachers hit me, she would have asked me what I did to deserve it!
No, not a bit!
By the way my father-in-law graduated as an Aggie engineer class of 42.
There may be grounds to fire this employee, but to put her on trial for assault is ridiculous, there are enough REAL assaults in this country that never go to trial, bringing this to trial is a travesty and my contempt and cynicism for anyone in government only grows greater with crap like this.
My father, my mother-in-law and my aunt are former teachers in the State of Texas.
Sorry, but what teacher’s unions do on a national level just doesn’t have an impact on how teachers operate in Texas. This is a “right to work” state. Unions just do not have the influence here in Texas as they do in other states.
Retired teacher organizations, like the one my Dad works with, probably have more influence with the Legislature over how current teachers operate than any national union.
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