A Madison, Wisconsin teacher has been placed on indefinite leave after allegedly pushing an 11-year-old student in the school hallway, ripping out three of her braids during the incident, WISC reports.
The family of the student is now speaking out, saying the child is so traumatized by the experience that she no longer wants to attend school. Mother Mikiea Price has filed a police report against the educator, Robert Mueller-Owens.
Marcus Allen, a pastor and acting spokesperson for the family, said in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, “I am told that the girl and her friend had sprayed perfume on themselves in the bathroom and the scent was bothering the teacher’s allergies. The teacher asked who sprayed it and the class didn’t answer, so she asked [Mueller-Owens] to come in, and he targeted this one girl.”
Allen went on to say the student admitted to spraying the perfume and was forcefully pushed into the hallway. According to the spokesperson, Mueller-Owens lost his balance, fell on top of the student, and remained on the ground for 10-15 seconds.
“I don’t know how the girl’s braids were pulled out but she has two bald spots on her head,” he said.
An official statement by district administrators on Twitter:
“The staff person was put on leave while the situation was investigated. Based on that investigation, the staff person will not return to Whitehorse Middle School, and we are determining next steps,” it reads. “In addition, our team is coming together to create a full support plan to ensure that students is safe and fully supported at school.”
