FL Teacher Sues Orange County District over "Kindergartner from Hell"

WND.com ^ | 06-01-03 | WND.com

[Theodore R.]

Teacher sues over 'kindergartner from hell' Claims disruptive boy caused 'loss of enjoyment of life'

Posted: June 1, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

A veteran teacher has filed suit against Orange County public schools over the humiliation, emotional and physical distress, and "loss of enjoyment of life" she claims she suffered because the district failed to remove a disruptive child from her class, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher Cheri Dean (Courtesy: Orlando Sentinel)

"What I want out of this is justice," the paper quotes teacher Cheri Dean as saying. "What's so amazing is that these kinds of things are going on in other schools, and teachers won't say anything because they are intimidated."

The lawsuit contains multiple pages of examples of the boy's bullying and reportedly violent behavior at Lockhart Elementary in the fall of 2001.

Dean, 51, claims she kept a log of his misbehavior after the boy was reassigned to her classroom from another teacher's class.

Among the child's offenses, the suit details how he purportedly stabbed a classmate with a fork at lunch, started another fight and then told a teacher's aide to "kiss my butt."

On another occasion, according to the Sentinel, the boy hit two students, one in the back of the head and the other in the face, swung his fists at a third student and then punched a fourth who was reading, calling him an "ugly faggot."

Other students support Dean(Courtesy: Orlando Sentinel)

Dean said she repeatedly asked her principal to remove the child from the classroom, but was rebuffed.

"She was angry because no one was helping her or helping the child, who wasn't at a place where he should have been," Don Dean, the teacher's husband told the paper.

It is unclear to what extent the parents of the child were consulted on the matter.

Ultimately, Dean was reassigned to Catalina Elementary.

According to the Sentinel, school records indicate she had become disruptive to the school. She was reprimanded for filing a false complaint against her principal just before her transfer.

The school district's attorney defended the administration's handling of the matter.

Frank Kruppenbacher told the Sentinel a committee considered Dean's complaints, the child's behavior and how it affected the rest of the class before recommending that the student remain in the classroom.

Kruppenbacher also questioned the authenticity of Dean's log about the boy's actions.

"I find it incredible that anyone would put this kind of litany of student problems in a court case," he said.

As for the boy, he has mended his ways, according to his mother, who describes him as easily bored, wound-up and has trouble sitting still.

"There's been no fighting, no kicking and no punching at the new school," she told the paper.

At the same time Dean was transferred from Lockhart Elementary, the boy was transferred to a nearby school where certain teachers are certified to deal with challenging students.

Dean didn't fare as well from her transfer. The veteran of 18 years claims the events of the fall of 2001 so traumatized her she has been on medical leave since last fall, using all the sick days she had collected through the years, reports the Sentinel.

She has formed an informal group called Teachers Against Violence in Classrooms.

Supporters describe Dean as a good teacher. The week she left Lockhart Elementary, parents held signs in front of the school protesting her departure.

[LouD]

Isn't this primarily a problem of cowardly administrators and weak-kneed school boards

Exactly.

[CindyDawg]

Some kids are just higher strung than others. You were blessed. At various times mine threw tantrums until they left home. (time to stop,take a nap, loss of a toy, not wanting to eat, not wanting to do homework, get up for school, curfews, not allowed to run wild with other kids, dating rules etc).

[PatrioticAmerican]

"Hey, all the rednecks, this redneck knows, homeschool:')"

We have the winning answer! Same here. Most people I know homeschool, including many of my family. Most of these kids are extremely well educated and think of public school kids as ignorant.

[SoftballMominVA]

I also teach middle school and know the pressures your daughter is facing. She should immediately contact the American Association of Educators at

http://www.aaeteachers

She can join online right now. This is a conservative organization (not union) that provides excellent liability insurance of $1 million and is an alternative to NEA. They have offices in every state. I joined about 2 years ago when I was afraid of a suit and was sick and tired of the NEA drones scaring me to death.

It costs $125 a year and it lets me sleep at night.

[SoftballMominVA]

whoops, make that

www.aaeteachers.org

forgot the org

do'h

[maxwell]

Tantrum gets worse to the point of the child not being able to calm down even if they wanted to at that point.

I don't get it. My bros and I never acted like that. Usually all Pop had to do was give us the evil eye and we sat up straighter'n Jerry Falwell in a rainbow pride parade. Ma had more trouble with us, yelled alot, we didn't pay attention 'til she got to that tired ol' line "just wait 'til your father comes home..."

[netmilsmom]

Better you pick his butt up and walk him out of the mall to a spanking.
Except that eventually you can't spank them anymore. Then what do you do? Spanking is only used for direct defiance. Otherwise, it loses its powers. They throw a fit, you spank them, they throw a fit because you spanked them. Then what? Another spanking? My mother had to draw blood to get my attention.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You really are using this practice with a 5 or 6 year old?
_______________________________________________

I have a parent like you in my kindergarten class. Her kid lies kicking and screaming on the floor until he gets "embarassed".

Isn't a parent a bit old to be in kindergarten? If a parent whacks a child in kindergarten around here, they'll get a visit from Social Services.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ooops sorry, put that wrong. You act like one of the parent's of a child in my daughter's kindergarten. If you have not gotten your child's "attention" by five or six and that child enters kindergarten, how do you expect a teacher to do it?
I'm not a big one for spanking, my kids have had one each. But standing laughing at a six year old having a toddler's fit in the middle of a mall is misconstruded. Perhaps, may I suggest Dobson's book, "Dare to Disciple". It can be found on Amazon.com. I feel both you and your son would be grateful that you read it.

[netmilsmom]

Try to get some peanut butter into him. This may sound crazy but I have heard that preschoolers throw these unbearable fits because their blood sugar level drops.
My little one would play "board baby" for six months of her life when she didn't want to get into a carseat. It would last for 45 minutes until she became so tired she went limp. NOTHING would stop it, we couldn't drive anywhere, we were stuck there. A mom at my daughter's school told me this trick and it never happened again. Peanut Butter works because it sticks and they can't spit it.

[honeygrl]

Well, I am the one home most of the day with the kids and he does pay a little more attention to my hubby than to me. Maybe it's the deeper voice.

[VermiciousKnid]

Lifebuoy is for sissies. My Mom used Lava.

Regards,

[Amelia]

But, I can't give you any better solution for a tantrum since i'm still working on it myself.

I found with mine, tantrums were much more likely to occur if they're overtired. Try a strict schedule and plenty of sleep?

[Eaker]

Of course, redneck parents would sue.

Son, it ain't the "rednecks" that would sue. It is the sissy Birkenstock a$$holes.

NOT US REDNECKS

Eaker

[honeygrl]

"I found with mine, tantrums were much more likely to occur if they're overtired. Try a strict schedule and plenty of sleep? "

That is without a doubt something I have to work on. I've gotten his sleep scheduled turned around to my own natural one. He goes to bed around midnight and gets up around 11am with no nap during the day. (refuses to go to sleep at all for a nap anymore)

[Amelia]

(Got a horror story to share?)

My favorite is the ADHD kid whose mother thought it was okay if he burst into song in the middle of my lecture - "He can listen and sing at the same time."

She wasn't real concerned about the other 27 kids who couldn't listen while he was singing.....

[honeygrl]

My favorite is the ADHD kid whose mother thought it was okay if he burst into song in the middle of my lecture - "He can listen and sing at the same time."

If it was a male child, then she was wrong. Males can only think about one thing at a time :) Females, OTOH, could sing while on their cellphone, reading a book and still listen to the lecture.

[PatrioticAmerican]

my apologies to the rednecks and my heritage.

[Eaker]

;>)

[skinkinthegrass]

a 4yr old is young but it's still old enough to be punished for aggrivating strangers

As one poster said on this thread "some kids needs to be taught limits"...some parents too.

[Amelia]

Perhaps, may I suggest Dobson's book, "Dare to Disciple".

John Rosemond's books are good too.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

My favorite is the ADHD kid whose mother thought it was okay if he burst into song in the middle of my lecture - "He can listen and sing at the same time."

Good grief! You probably have more parent horror stories than student horror stories, now that I think about it. ; )