Teachers suspended for allegedly mocking 14-year-old's sexuality
Two middle school teachers in Georgia have been suspended after making inappropriate comments about a student’s sexuality.
According to Atlanta station WSB, the Gwinnett County teachers are under investigation by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission after harassing an 8th grade student and implying that he is gay in front of his entire class.
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Jean Mott is the mother of the 14-year-old Shiloh Middle School student who came home crying one day in December after his teachers had been making fun of him in class, and insinuating that he is gay. In a few instances, they reportedly even referred to other male classmates as the boy’s “boyfriend,” and teased him about it after he was absent for a few days.
“The teacher said to my son, ‘Your boyfriend was cheating on you while you were away. Oh, you two would make a really good couple,'” Mott told WSB. “A boy had pushed my son from the back and he chased after him to hit him back and the other teacher said, ‘How many times do I have to watch you chasing little boys?'”
In a voice recording obtained by WSB, Mott is heard asking one of the teachers about the remarks and even quoting what her son had repeated to her. In response, the teacher simply said, “I want to be honest with you, I was wrong for it.”
Officials from Gwinnett County Public Schools and Shiloh Middle School didn’t immediately reply to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, Shiloh Middle School reportedly substantiated Mott’s claims and sent the following statement to WSB:
“Both investigations found that the teachers comments were inappropriate. As a result, disciplinary action was taken against both teachers.”
According to WSB, the only disciplinary action that has been taken thus far was a two-day suspension for each of the teachers. Mott told the outlet that she believes that isn’t enough.
“I cannot allow these teachers to go out and do this to anybody’s else’s child,” she said. “They initiated the bullying. As a result, my son has been bullied by his peers and it’s something he’ll never live down.”
The ongoing investigation by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission will determine if the teachers will be able to keep their education certificates or not.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
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