ONE VOICE / ONE SOUND

School Teacher Assaults

REMEMBERING LAMYA CAMMON - AGE 7

Lamya Cammon, 7, was sitting quietly in her first grade class absentmindedly twirling her braids. The little girl's teacher, whose name is being withheld, grew tired of seeing the little girl play with her dozen or so braids, so she called Lamya up to the front of the classroom. The first graders watched in disbelief as their teacher took out a large pair of scissors and cut off one of Lamya's braids. Amid the snickers of her students, the Milwaukee teacher threw the braid in the garbage, sent the crying youngster back to her seat, then said, "Now what you gonna go home and tell your momma?"

Lamya claims that she was not twirling her hair loudly nor was she being disruptive. When the child told her mother what had happened, she immediately went to the school to confront the teacher. the childs' mother tried to discuss the issue with her child's teacher, but she was merely told that the act was done out of frustration. The teacher's response was not good enough for her, who thinks the teacher should be fired. She also reported the incident to the school district and local police. "Why would we want someone like that teaching our kids? We trust that once we send our kids to school, that they'll be safe," says the angry Mom. The Milwaukee Public School District has apologized and placed Lamya in a different classroom. Although the teacher remains, the Milwaukee Public School District is going through a disciplinary process. The mother also reported the incident to Milwaukee police who issued the teacher a $175 disorderly conduct summons.

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September 17, 2009 - Bishopville, South Carolina: A teacher under investigation by police for abusing students is no longer an employee with Bishopville Primary School. One parent said that her 5 year old daughter is afraid to go to school after being struck by her teacher, who took a ruler and hit her in her hand.

Police say the teacher is accused of using excessive corporal punishment towards possibly sixteen students that were of the ages of five and six, and is also accused of rubbing Purell hand sanitizer in their faces and mouths, striking them with a stick, slapping their faces and stepping on their hands. District officials say the teacher was removed from the class during the investigation phase and has since been released from the district. Parents who had children in that particular classroom were called in to meet with District Officials. Charges have been filed in this case.

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Hundreds of students have allegedly been beaten by teachers, coaches and staff at Chicago Public Schools. Treveon Martin, 10, is afraid of a teacher at his school. His teacher held his arms, picked his body up, and then just slammed him on the desk. An exclusive investigation discovered Treveon Martin is one of at least 818 Chicago Public School students, since 2003, to allege being battered by a teacher or an aide, coach, security guard, or even a principal. In most of those cases - 568 of them - Chicago Public School investigators determined the children were telling the truth.

Investigators found reports of students beaten with broomsticks, whipped with belts, yard sticks, struck with staplers, choked, stomped on and pushed down stairs. One substitute teacher even fractured a student's neck. But even more alarming, in the vast majority of cases, teachers found guilty were only given a slap on the wrist. Another student was given "100 licks with a belt." The abuse was substantiated, but the records show the teacher was not terminated.

A SAGA CONTINUED ...