Last week, I published this story about a teacher who allegedly slapped a 9-year-old boy for laughing in class. According to the boy's mother, Quiana Williams, she was informed after filing a police report that, technically, the teacher had done nothing wrong. This is true.
Here are the details from Sgt. Dennis McWilliams:
Our officer... responded to what I believe to be the home address of Ms. Nixon at her behest. The officer documented his official investigation on a Fort Pierce Police Department Report form... After the officer responded and took the initial report, one of our detectives took over the investigation. The case was investigated, and a document was then forwarded to the State Attorney's Office (19th Judicial Circuit) for review.
After reviewing the facts of the case, the state attorney determined that no criminal offense had taken place and that the teacher in this case was "standing loco parentis, and administering corporal punishment that did not go beyond what was reasonable." In short, the accusation made by Ms. Nixon did not rise to a level that supported any child abuse charge.
So that's that. The kid may have been smacked, but the teacher was standing "loco parentis," and all's well.
I
also received word from the St. Lucie school department -- which,
Quiana Nixon claimed, had informed her that any therapy her son might
require would have to be paid out of pocket. According to Janice Karst, director of communications from the St. Lucie School County
District:
The school district provided the parent with information about agencies in the community that offer counseling services at no charge, as well as the procedure for reimbursement through the school district's risk management department if services are provided through the parent's insurance coverage.
Good to know.
