In an unsettling incident, a 10-year-old boy reportedly had his mouth washed out with soap by his teacher, who believed this outdated form of punishment was appropriate. The teacher has since been suspended, and the young student has not returned to school since the event. Most would agree that washing a child’s mouth out with soap is far from a fitting response to misbehavior.
“I was just standing there, and she took a bar of soap and started rubbing it on my tongue,” shared young Ethan Parker during an interview with local news. His mother, Lisa Parker, expressed her shock and dismay. “I was furious, hurt, and utterly baffled. How could something like this happen?” she stated. “This is definitely assault, if not something worse. Soap shouldn’t be in anyone’s mouth.” After contacting the police, they determined the situation was not criminal and advised the school to address it internally.
The incident took place at Maplewood Academy, part of the Springfield School District, which has initiated an investigation into the teacher’s conduct. While school officials have remained tight-lipped regarding specifics, reports indicate the boy had an argument with a classmate who had put their feet in his path. Although the teacher was absent during the initial confrontation, she was informed of the altercation when she returned a few days later.
After speaking with both boys, the teacher allegedly dismissed Ethan’s account and called him to the sink at the end of the day, where she proceeded to wash his mouth out with soap. According to Lisa, the teacher admitted to this punishment and seemed to think it was acceptable. “I asked her if she was serious,” Lisa recounted. “She said it was because he was cursing, and she claimed to have had issues with him for a while.”
While I recall a similar childhood experience when my own mother reprimanded me for swearing by making me wash my mouth out with soap, that was over two decades ago, and it was my parent, not a teacher. Most parents have come to recognize that such punitive measures are not only ineffective but also cruel. It’s surprising that an educator would resort to such a method without first discussing the behavior with the child’s parents.
Lisa mentioned she had attempted to reach out to the teacher multiple times regarding a school project in the weeks prior, but received no response. “I want Ethan to feel safe at school, to learn, and behave, but right now, I’m not sure that’s possible,” she expressed. As it stands, Ethan is staying home while his mother awaits a response from school officials on how they plan to address the teacher’s actions. “I want to go back to school, but only if she’s not there anymore,” Ethan said. “I just don’t want to be in that class.”
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In summary, a teacher at Maplewood Academy has been suspended after allegedly washing a student’s mouth out with soap as punishment for cursing, igniting outrage from the boy’s mother and raising questions about outdated disciplinary practices in schools today.