Jennifer Kent
ABC
Friday, December 8, 2006
BELLMEAD- A four-year-old hugged his teachers aide and was put
into in-school suspension, according to the father. But La Vega
school administrators have a different story.
Damarcus Blackwell's four-year-old son was lining-up to get on
the bus after school last month, when he was accused of rubbing
his face in the chest of a female employee.
The prinicipal of La Vega Primary School sent a letter to the
Blackwells that said the pre-kindergartener demonstrated "inappropriate
physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual
harassment."
Blackwell says it's ridiculous that the aide would misread a
hug from a four-year-old. Blackwell wrote to administrators demanding
that the whole incident be expunged from his son's academic file
because his son is too young to know what it means to act sexually.
David Davis, the executive director of the Advocacy Center in
Waco tends to agree with Blackwell. He says assuming the boy has
not had sexual encounters, or been inappropriately exposed to
pornography, most four-year-olds are sexually innocent.
Blackwell got a response from the La Vega administration. The
sexual references on the discipline referral were removed. But
the thing that makes Blackwell most upset is they told him "your
request for an apology by the aide and removal of all paperwork
regarding this incident is denied." Now the young student's
file will refer to the incident as "inappropriate physical
contact." And Blackwell says he will continue to fight the
district.
La Vega I.S.D. administrators told News Channel 25 they couldn't
comment on this case because of student privacy issues.
Email
