Dracut teacher accused of drawing ‘L' on student's forehead
DRACUT, Mass. -- A local teacher is under investigation for allegedly marking a student's forehead with the letter "L" in front of the whole class.
The teacher at Lakeview Junior High School allegedly drew on a seventh-grader's head as a punishment.
"Very out of line," said one parent.
"Put an 'L' on their forehead, I mean that's wrong," said another parent.
Dracut School Committee Chairman Matthew Sheehan said the teacher wrote a word that starts with "L" on the student's forehead after that student showed up late to study hall on Friday.
"The student came in late and the student said, the student used some kind of word and the teacher wrote that word on the child's forehead," Sheehan said.
The school didn't learn about the incident until 48 hours after it happened. Officials found out by way of an anonymous e-mail.
At Monday's school committee meeting, the superintendent said he wants to talk to all parties involved before disciplining the teacher.
"I don't think the teacher meant to humiliate the child whatsoever. It was just a bad joke," Sheehan said.
But parents are not laughing and they want the teacher to be reprimanded.
The superintendent released a statement Monday, reading in part, "The administration of the Dracut public schools will not tolerate unprofessional behavior and will address any reported incidents swiftly and appropriately. At this point, we still consider this an open investigation and per legal counsel, we cannot comment further."
The superintendent said that after the initial investigation the incident seemed to be "innocent mutual joking."
