Teacher placed on leave after viral video appears to show her condemning student
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POYNETTE, Wisconsin (madison.com/Wisconsin State Journal) — A teacher in the Poynette School District has been placed on administrative leave following an incident at the high school Tuesday.
A video being shared on social media allegedly shows a Poynette teacher berating a student for failing to wear a mask, calling him a “jerk” and “dummy.” The district has not confirmed the video, which was shared by talk radio host Vicki McKenna, is related to the teacher being placed on leave.
McKenna said she got the video from TikTok and edited it to protect the student’s identity. She declined to say who had posted the video to TikTok and a search of the platform did not immediately turn up a related video.
“The School District of Poynette is aware of an incident that occurred today, May 11th, 2021, involving a teacher and student at the Poynette High School,” District Administrator Matt Shappell said in an announcement on Facebook.
“The District is initiating an investigation and the teacher involved has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The District contacted the parents and we are taking steps to provide the appropriate support for the student involved.”
Shappell’s post on Facebook has more than 300 comments on Facebook from individuals who apparently watched the video.
“I don’t care if you’re vaccinated, you little dink,” the teacher told the student in the video. “I don’t want to get sick and die. There’s other people you can infect just because you’re vaccinated. You know what? You’re not a special person around here.
“You should hear about how everyone talks about you around here. You’re a jerk. You’re a jerk. And you need to have respect for other people in your life. You’re not a big man on campus, quit walking around here like you have a stick up your butt.”
Shappell said in an email that masks are required in school buildings and on district-sponsored transportation but declined to say what the consequences are for students who don’t wear masks.
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