Mom upset over alleged physical punishment by a teacher

PLYMOUTH, Minn. (KMSP) - Stephanie Gasca says her son, a seventh grader at Plymouth Middle School, is the victim of maltreatment under the guise of discipline at the hands of his life sciences teacher.

“She physically assaulted my child. She kicked him in his rear end,” Gasca says.

Gasca says the incident happened about two weeks ago, when Stephanie’s son and a classmate were laughing during class. That’s when she says the teacher took it upon herself to make a demonstration of humiliation.

“She told me to come to the front of the class, and she told me to face the wall, and she told me to bend over and then she kicked me in my butt and then she started laughing and then the whole class started laughing,” Gasca’s son told Fox 9.

Gasca was upset the teacher chose physical punishment to discipline her son.

“She could’ve stepped outside of the classroom and had a conversation with him, she could’ve called the behavior specialist down there, she could’ve sent him to the office.”

Joseph Palmersheim, the district’s spokesperson, issued a statement:

“There has been an incident at Plymouth Middle School where a student has alleged maltreatment by one of our teachers. The allegation is being taken very seriously. The teacher is currently employed but their current assignment is not in the classroom. We are investigating the incident pursuant to district policy.”

Gasca says contrary to school policy the teacher wasn’t immediately removed and it wasn’t until Monday, about a week and a half after the incident, that the teacher was placed in a different capacity.

Tuesday, parents were sent home with a letter notifying them of the teacher's paid removal.

“I didn’t trust her because of what she did and I thought she was going to do it again. So I didn’t feel safe,” Gasca’s son said.

School leaders did inform Gasca there were several witnesses who did corroborate her son’s story. She says for right now she does not have plans to move her son to a different school, but she isn’t yet satisfied with the outcome and wants to press charges.